Liu Minxia

    mllmx@msn.com

    AN 81-year-old Shenzhen resident has been confirmed to have contracted the H7N9 strain of bird flu, bringing the number of human infections in the city to three, the city’s health commission said yesterday.

    The man, who was identified by his surname, Jiang, had bought live poultry before developing the symptoms of a fever and a cough. He was transferred to Shenzhen No. 3 People’s Hospital on Feb. 6 and released Feb. 15.

    The first two H7N9 cases in Shenzhen this year involved a 33-year-old man who had dined at a restaurant where there was live poultry and a 34-year-old woman who had visited a market where live poultry was sold.

    The city’s center for disease control and prevention and the health commission have 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 for bird flu contraction, and the most effective protection against being infected with H7N9 is to not have contact with live poultry, doctors have said.

    Starting Jan. 1, 2016, Shenzhen enacted restrictions on live poultry operations, and requires 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.

    Meanwhile, a leading specialist in respiratory diseases warns that the new strain of H7N9 bird flu virus confirmed earlier this month might be drug-resistant already.

    The new strain shows resistance to oseltamivir phosphate, a commonly used drug in the prevention and treatment of flu, said Zhong Nanshan, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, according to a report published Sunday by the Nanfang Daily, a Guangzhou-based newspaper.