Two more H7N9 bird flu deaths in Zhejiang

HANGZHOU - Two people have died of H7N9 bird flu in East China's Zhejiang province, bringing total number of the deaths from the disease to 20 nationwide, health authorities said Sunday.

A 76-year-old farmer surnamed Luo died on Sunday morning after he came down with flu symptoms on April 8, and 62-year-old woman surnamed Wang, a native of Huzhou city, died despite medical efforts on Saturday evening, after she was diagnosed with H7N9 avian influenza on April 14, said a statement of the provincial health department.

The department also reported five more cases of H7N9 bird flu infections, including Luo, in the statement.

The other four patients, including a 68-year-old female, a 58-year-old male, a 79-year-old female and a 81-year-old male, were in critical conditions, it said.

In addition, a 68-year-old retired man surnamed Yang from Jiangsu province, was also confirmed to have caught H7N9 bird flu, bringing the total number of infected cases to 102 in the country, said a statement issued by the Shanghai Health and Family Planning Committee.

Yang was receiving treatment in Shanghai, said the statement.

He showed symptoms of high fever, cough and expectoration on April 13 in the city of Liyang in Jiangsu, and was diagnosed with H7N9 avian influenza in Shanghai on Saturday, it said.

The committee said three people on Sunday were discharged from hospital after they had recovered from the flu. So far, a total of 12 patients have recovered from the disease.

More people will be discharged from hospital, said Zhang Jianliang, deputy chief of the Shanghai Municipal Public Health Clinic Center, adding doctors will further track health conditions of the people discharged.