China detects three human cases of H7N9 bird flu in Beijing and Tianjin

Beijing’s health authorities confirmed Wednesday a human case of H7N9 bird flu while neighboring Tianjin announced two more cases.

A 68yearold farmer from the Hebei province was transferred to Beijing after her symptoms worsened.

The test in the Beijing hospital confirmed the virus although the patient said she had had no contact with live poultry recently.

The other patients, who have been diagnosed in the neighboring city of Tianjin, located east of the capital, developed serious pneumonia after coming in contact with sick poultry.

The announcement comes a week after Hong Kong suspended its local live poultry trade and began slaughtering thousands of birds at a wholesale poultry market after the virus was detected.

H7N9 is one of the most lethal strains of bird flu and affects both birds and humans, in whom it can cause respiratory and multiple organ failure.

The strain was discovered in Shanghai and other parts of eastern China in 2013 and has affected close to 400 people, out of which over a 100 have died in the last few years.