No H7N9 found on wild birds: authorities

Chinese experts have so far found no H7N9 virus on wild birds during inspections in five cities and provinces where human infections have been reported, the State Forestry Administration said on Friday.

Laboratory tests showed 861 of the 1,300 samples collected in Shanghai, Beijing, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui were H7N9 negative, while the rest are still being examined, the administration said in a statement.

Altogether, 87 cases of human H7N9 avian influenza had been reported in China as of 5 p.m. on Thursday, including 17 that ended in death, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

Thirty-two of these cases were reported in Shanghai, 21 in Jiangsu Province, and 27 in Zhejiang Province. Anhui Province reported three cases, while Beijing reported one and Henan Province three.

Special report: H7N9 avian influenza