Six new H7N9 cases reported in China

Six new human cases of H7N9 bird flu and a death case due to it were reported in China Saturday, health authorities said.

The new cases included two in the southern Guangdong province, two in the eastern Zhejiang province, one in the eastern Fujian province and one in Hunan province in central China, Xinhua reported.

Two boys aged five and six respectively, were confirmed to have been infected with the disease in Guangdong, said the provincial health department. Meanwhile, an 82-year-old H7N9 patient died Friday in the province

In Zhejiang, the two new cases were an 80-year-old farmer and a 54-year-old worker. Both live in the provincial capital Hangzhou. They were in critical condition.

Since Jan 1, over 100 human H7N9 cases, including about 20 deaths, have been reported in several provinces in China, with Zhejiang and Guangdong being most affected.