Beijing Reports First Case of H7N9 Infection

Beijing (Antara/Xinhua-OANA) - A seven-year-old girl in Beijing was infected with the H7N9 strain of bird flu, the first such case in the Chinese capital, local health authorities said Saturday. The case was confirmed following a test by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention early on Saturday. The child is being treated at the Beijing Ditan Hospital, and is in stable condition, the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau said in a press briefing. Two people who have had close contact with the child have not shown any flu symptoms, a spokesman said, adding that the girl's father was engaged in live poultry trading. The new case raised the number of H7N9 infections in China to 44, with all the other 43 in the eastern parts of the country. The first known human infections have claimed the lives of 11 people, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission. (*)