Liu Minxia

    mllmx@msn.com

    TWO Shenzhen men in their 50s have been confirmed to have contracted the H7N9 strain of bird flu, marking the first two cases of the winter and bringing the number of human infections in the province to 14, the city’s center for disease control and prevention (CDC) said Friday.

    One of the patients, aged 50, worked as a poultry slaughterer at a wet market in Pinghu Subdistrict of Longgang District. It was confirmed that he had contracted H7N9 bird flu Dec. 30. He is now in a stable condition and has been transferred to a regular ward for treatment.

    The other, aged 53, is in a critical condition. Epidemiological research found that he had been to a market in Jihua Subdistrict of Longgang District, where live poultry is sold, several times before developing the symptoms. His infection was confirmed Dec. 31.

    All of the 27 people who had close contact with the two patients showed no symptom as of Friday.

    The CDC and the city’s health department warned the public to be vigilant against bird flu and urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene. “Exposure to live poultry is a high risk factor in bird flu contraction,” said Xia Junjie, director of the CDC. “Starting Jan. 1, 2016, Shenzhen enacted restrictions on live poultry operations, and has required that live poultry be slaughtered by certain licensed companies, transported through cold chains and sold refrigerated. All parties, including consumers, are advised to abide by the regulations.”

    Guangdong Province has reported 14 H7N9 bird flu cases this winter, half of which were fatal.

    On Saturday, five human H7N9 avian flu cases were reported in Shandong, Jiangxi and Hunan, Xinhua reported.

    A male patient from Shandong’s Laiwu City, 53, is receiving treatment in the provincial capital of Jinan, Xinhua said.

    Three patients, two females and a male aged 72, 83 and 48, respectively, have been hospitalized in Jiangxi. The local health authorities said the two female patients were in serious conditions.

    A 35-year-old man from Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province, is also in serious condition. He was confirmed to have had close contact with poultry before being hospitalized.