Restrictions on poultry sales after recent H7N9 human infections

The H7N9 bird flu has drawn widespread concern in several provinces and municipalities in Southern China, as more human infections have been reported.

Fujian province has 15 confirmed cases of the strain so far this year, with two deaths reported. Guangdong province on Sunday reported two patients infected with H7N9 bird flu. A 66-year-old man is in the hospital in critical condition, while another, a one-year-old girl, has recovered after medical treatment. Shanghai has reported two human H7N9 cases this winter, including a 69-year-old man, just confirmed on Saturday. Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces have also reported human cases of H7N9 this winter. In response, several local governments are expanding restrictions on live poultry sales.

Closing their doors, packing up, and leaving. More poultry sellers in Shanghai have had to abandon their business, as local authorities ban live poultry sales -- for good.

"We shut down the live poultry section by order of the government. It's canceled forever," Wang Fengqi, manager of Mengxi Market, said.

This has been hard to swallow for some residents who have long preferred the freshness of live poultry over already-butchered meat.

However, the recent appearance of the H7N9 bird flu infection in humans has changed minds.

"I'll buy frozen chicken meat instead. I'm ok with that. It's safer."

The latest confirmed human infection, found on Saturday, has also put Shanghai's food monitors on higher alert.

Live poultry entering into the city is also coming under stricter scrutiny.

While restrictions on poultry sales are expanding in many cities, demand is also on the rise, as preparations get underway for the Spring Festival, that's just one month away.

In the nearby city of Nanjing, residents readying for their annual holiday feast have been forced to trek out to the suburbs to find credible poultry vendors.

"No live poultry is sold downtown. All the vendors have moved to the less populated suburbs," A poultry seller said.

"Each of the poultry can be traced. We have their quarantine certificates and origin records," Xu Qiliang with Nanjing Zishu Agricultural Products Co. said.

While these new restrictions have been an inconvenience, most recognize it is a necessary one. Since first appearing in humans in China in March 2013, the H7N9 virus has infected more than 450 people, and killed over 170 of them. And most bird flu cases in humans have come from exposure to infected poultry.