There were two new human cases of the deadly H7N9 avian influenza virus over the weekend. One in Guangdong and the other in Zhejiang Province.

According to Nanfang Daily, the first case is a 31 year-old woman from Dongguan. The report said the woman, surnamed Deng, lives around a poultry wholesaling market in Changping Town, and frequently visited the market. The patient is being treated at a hospital in Guangzhou and is still in critical condition.

Just one day after the report came out, a woman in her 60s living in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province tested positive for the virus, reported Xinhua. The patient developed symptoms of the deadly influenza after she bought two live chickens from a nearby poultry market and kept them on her balcony for more than 10 days. The woman is being treated at a local hospital, and is in serious condition.

Chen Enfu, the Director of the Zhejiang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, warned that the virus typically spreads faster during the fall and winter months, and that residents should avoid contact with live poultry and poulty feces, the report said.

The virus has infected more than 400 people since it was first discovered in Eastern China in early 2013, and has killed more than one third of patients, according to Hong Kong University’s Li Ka Shing School of Medicine.

Photos: PressTV