New H7N9 case reported in NE China

An H7N9 patient is in a critical condition in northeast China’s Liaoning Province, local health authorities said on Thursday.

The patient, a 61-year-old woman, is receiving treatment in a provincial hospital, according to the local health and family planning commission.

The province has reported four H7N9 cases this year.

H7N9 is a bird flu strain first reported to have infected humans in China in March 2013. Infections are most likely to occur in winter and spring. No evidence has shown that the virus is transmitted from person to person.