Two men die in Shanghai in first human cases of bird flu strain

Two mainlanders have died and a third is critically ill after they became the first reported human cases of infection by a lesser-known strain of bird flu. The National Health and Family Planning Commission said yesterday it wasn't clear how the three became infected, but there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission.

The commission said the two men - aged 87 and 27 - died in Shanghai after becoming infected with the H7N9 strain of the avian influenza virus. The 87-year-old died on March 4 and the 27-year-old on March 10, both within two weeks of falling ill, the commission said.

The woman, 35, of Chuzhou, Anhui province, was said to be in a critical condition. She fell ill on March 9 after coming into contact with poultry. The victims showed symptoms of fever and coughing and later developed severe pneumonia and breathing difficulties.

Experts say the virus does not seem to be highly contagious but appears more deadly than other strains of the H7 virus that have previously infected humans. Read more >>