It looks like the bird flu is in Guangdong to stay. The Yangcheng Evening Daily has reported that 22 new cases of H7N9 bird flu were reported from January 30 to February 9, with at least one new case every single day, while five people have died of the disease.

He Jianfeng, an expert with the Guangdong Provincial Disease Control Center, said the disease spread over the holidays because people often buy live chickens and keep them at home during the Chinese New Year. In some rural areas in Guangdong, they are even given as gifts.

Lin Jinyan, the Deputy Director of the Disease Control Centre, added that it’s unlucky to see a doctor during the the new year period, which meant those infected were missing out on perhaps life-saving treatment.

He says live poultry markets continue to be the main conduit for the spread of the disease. So far Tamiflu, known as “Da Fei” in Chinese, is the best known vaccine but it’s still in a testing phase. Experts say it won’t be ready for sale for at least another year.