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China Reports First Fall Case of H7N9 Bird Flu

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A 35-year-old man in China is the first person in that country to become sickened with the H7N9 bird flu virus this fall.

Today, local authorities in the Zhejiang Province confirmed that a man in critical condition tested positive for the H7N9 virus, according to Xinhua News Agency, China's official press agency.

There were no new cases of H7N9 reported in September on maintain China, Xinhua says, the last case was reported in August.

The H9N9 outbreak began in late March, with most cases reported in April. Reports of new cases started to decline in May, but some scientists have been concerned that cases could start to rise again in the fall and winter months.

Including the new case, a total of 135 people have been sickened with H7N9 in China and 45 have died, Xinhua says.

Rachael Rettner
Rachael Rettner
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Rachael is a Live Science contributor, and was a former channel editor and senior writer for Live Science between 2010 and 2022. She has a master's degree in journalism from New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. She also holds a B.S. in molecular biology and an M.S. in biology from the University of California, San Diego. Her work has appeared in Scienceline, The Washington Post and Scientific American.