BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhuanet) -- China is facing a new strain of the bird flu virus, discovered last week. So far it has claimed the lives of two people, and put one in critical condition in hospital. WHO’s representative in China has said that there was no sign that the new strain had spread between people.

Michael O’Leary, WHO Representative in China, said, "Again, there’s been no human-to-human transmission that we’re aware of, and over 80 close contacts have been tested so far and found to be negative. So at this point this is a good sign, but it of course requires careful follow up to see if there should be any possibility of human-to-human transmission."

China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission confirmed on Sunday that the three cases were of the H7N9 virus. It isn’t yet clear how the virus was transmitted from poultry to humans. The virus has no known vaccine.

Experts have advised people to consult doctors if they suffer from any of the possible symptoms associated with the virus. The symptoms are high fever, cough and difficulty in breathing. These were the symptoms that the victims were found suffering from before the virulent infection was confirmed in them.

(Source: cntv.com)