Samples were taken from dead pigs which were found in a river near Shanghai, but the deadly bird flu virus was not found. The river in which the pigs were found, provides drinking water to the residents of Shanghai.
Authorities, on April 1, 2013, said that two residents of the city had died in the first human infections of a new avian influenza strain. In the month of February 2012, two people aged 87 and 27 had become ill with a fever and cough, they then died in the month of March 2013. They suffered from severe pneumonia and difficult breathing before they passed away.
The National Health and Family Planning Commission said on March 31, 2013, that the two casualties were initially confirmed to be infected with H7N9 avian influenza. The results were found by an expert team which was summoned by the health and family planning commission based on clinical observation, epidemiology surveys and laboratory tests.
Last month, thousands of dead pigs were retrieved from the river which sparked huge panic and satire among the people over the safety of tap water. The authorities of the city will beef up monitoring the cases of influenza and pneumonia according to reports. So far there are no vaccines against H7N9 bird flu virus.
