China reports second H7N9 bird flu case in October

BEIJING | Wed Oct 23, 2013 6:43am EDT

(Reuters) – China confirmed a new human case of the deadly H7N9 strain of bird flu on Wednesday, the second infection reported in October after a summer lull.

A 67-year-old farmer in Jiaxing city in the eastern province of Zhejiang has been hospitalized with the virus, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing provincial health authorities.

Zhejiang has recorded the highest number of H7N9 infections anywhere in China. About 45 people have died from H7N9 flu, which was unknown in humans until the first cases were detected in people early this year.

Chinese authorities have reported at least 136 laboratory-confirmed human cases of the H7N9 infection.

While there were only a handful of H7N9 cases during the summer months after a surge in April, flu experts warn that the threat posed by the virus has not passed.

(Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)