WHO experts to probe bird flu that has killed 7
A 64-year-old retired man in Shanghai became the latest victim of the H7N9 bird flu virus that had previously not been known to infect humans, the city government said.
The Shanghai government said the man died on Sunday night, a week after first experiencing chills. He sought medical treatment on Wednesday for pneumonia-like conditions. By Sunday morning, his condition worsened, he was out of breath, and was admitted to a ward for in-patient treatment. He died hours later.
China reported two more cases of human infection of the H7N9 bird flu virus yesterday, raising the number of cases to 24 — all in the eastern part of the country. Most of the patients have become severely ill, and seven have died. However, milder infections may be going undetected.
Liang Wannian, director of the Chinese health agency’s H7N9 flu prevention and control office, said experts were in the early stages of researching a possible vaccine for the virus, though it might not be needed if the virus remains only sporadically reported.
