Two confirmed dead from H7N9

A doctor at work in the emergency department of Shanghai Pudong New Area People's Hospital Monday. The city's health commission has confirmed that an emergency room doctor at the hospital died from H7N9 bird flu Saturday. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

Shanghai's health commission confirmed Monday that two men died from the H7N9 strain of bird flu over the weekend.

One victim, surnamed Zhang, 31, an emergency room surgeon at Shanghai Pudong New Area People's Hospital, died around 4 am Saturday, according to a statement from the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning. The other victim was a 77-year-old poultry farmer, surnamed Wu, who died around midnight Saturday.

The commission issued its statement after laboratory tests confirmed Sunday that the two men had died from H7N9.

Zhang was sent to intensive care and put on a respirator when his condition deteriorated early Friday after working for several days with a fever, according to a report in the Oriental Morning Post.

He had not had any contact with live poultry, said Lu Hongzhou, vice director of the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center.

It is unknown how Zhang contracted the H7N9 virus, said Lu, who helped treat Zhang. Experts are still looking into how he was infected.

The other victim, Wu, contracted the virus after being in close contact with live poultry, Lu told the Global Times.

The Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning has confirmed seven cases of H7N9 in Shanghai this month.

The commission confirmed the first case on January 3 after an 86-year-old man surnamed Zhou was infected with the virus, according to a report on the news website xinmin.cn.

Zhou had purchased live poultry from a market.

The commission confirmed two more cases on January 11 after a 58-year-old woman surnamed Zhang and a 56-year-old man surnamed Shi were diagnosed with the virus.

The commission confirmed that a 35-year-old man, surnamed Wu, a native in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, contracted the virus Wednesday, and a 54-year-old man, surnamed Yang, from Wuhu, Anhui Province, was infected Thursday.

The five patients were still receiving treatment Monday, Lu said.

People who were in close contact with the deceased men are being kept under medical observation, but have not shown symptoms of H7N9, the commission said.