Nineteen new cases, that included five deaths, of H7N9 avian flu have been reported in China's central Hunan and southern Guangdong provinces this year, officials said today.
According to Hunan provincial disease control and prevention centre, eight cases have been reported in the past 16 days, including three deaths.
A new case was reported in Hunan yesterday. The patient, a 36-year-old woman from Hengyang City, is in critical condition and receiving medical treatment.
She had contact with poultry before falling ill, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Another 11 H7N9 cases have been reported in Guangdong, with two deaths.
H7N9 is a bird flu strain first reported to have infected humans in March 2013 in China. It is most likely to strike in winter and spring.
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