BEIJING (Sputnik) — A 68-year-old man from the city of Langfang in Hebei Province, immediately south of Beijing, developed flu symptoms two weeks ago and was transferred to Beijing last Monday after his condition worsened, China's state news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday.
On Saturday, the patient was confirmed to have the H7N9 strain of avian flu which he is believed to have contracted from live poultry, the outlet said. He is reportedly in critical condition.
China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission last month called for extra efforts to control and prevent the spread of the avian flu virus during the high season in winter and spring.
The first case of a human contracting this particular strain of avian influenza virus was registered in China in March 2013. According to media reports, a dozen people have died from the virus since the beginning of 2017.
