Fourth case of H7N9 bird flu confirmed in China in 3 weeks

A new human case of H7N9 bird flu has been confirmed in Zhejiang province, the fourth on the mainland in three weeks, but scientists said it was too early to know whether they represented a major outbreak.

Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection has been notified by the National Health and Family Planning Commission that a 64-year-old woman became ill on October 30 and was in critical condition.

No public announcement about the case had been made by the commission or state media as of last night. The World Health Organisation said it had been notified of the new case from the health commission.

"We expect to continue to see a small number of sporadic cases. To date, there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission," said Dr Bernhard Schwartlander, the WHO representative in China.

Schwartlander said whether the H7N9 virus could actually cause a pandemic was unknown, although "in principle, [it] carries a risk".

The third new human H7N9 bird flu case, a three-year-old boy in Dongguan who was confirmed as having contracted the virus on Tuesday, was in a stable condition and expected to be discharged from hospital soon. He had not developed a fever.

The child had gone to a wet market with poultry stalls, but did not have contact with the fowl.