Health officials in China have confirmed two people have died as a result of the H7N9 avian flu, Reuters reports. The total number of bird flu infections in mainland China has reached seven.
The strain does not seem to transmit easily from person to person, and sustained human-to-human infection has not been reported, according to the World Health Organization.
The danger with any such virus is that it mutates and acquires genetic changes that might increase its pandemic potential.
The last major bird flu outbreak in mainland China – from late 2013 to early 2014 – killed 36 people and led to more than $6 billion in losses for the agricultural sector.
