The number of persons infected with the H7N9 bird flu virus in China continues to rise with 20 new cases reported in the first two weeks of 2014.
On Wednesday, three new cases of H7N9 from Shanghai, Fujian, and Zhejiang provinces were reported. Four confirmed cases from Shanghai had already been reported since January 1, the latest of which was a 35-year-old male resident of Ningbo, Zhejiang.
In Fujian province, Jin Jiang, 50, the latest case on Wednesday, was reported to be in serious condition and is now at a local hospital for medical treatment, according to health authorities.
New cases from Zhejiang province had been reported in a span of 7 days. In addition, a total of 12 cases have been reported from the eastern province as of Wednesday, including some fatalities.
The latest case reported from the province on Wednesday was a 41-year-old farmer from Yuhang in Hangzhou, Zhejiang's capital.
It was also in Zhejiang where the first confirmed human-to-human transmission of the virus was reported in November, when a man caught the virus while caring for his infected father-in-law, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Since the first H7N9 case last year, about 150 confirmed H7N9 bird flu cases had already been reported in China.
Li Lanjuan, China's leading bird flu researcher who is a member of the H7N9 prevention and control group, explained that the virus spreads more actively during winter and spring, and the high volume of passengers in buses, trains, and planes during the season can create a favorable situation for the virus to spread.
Li warned that the virus might be spread by migrant workers from developed eastern regions who will be returning to their provinces for the Spring Festival.