BY MICHELLE SCHUELKE

Another round of the flu is emerging this season but this one has the World Health Organization

jumping into action. China.org reports Saturday three cases were

confirmed as a human infection of H7N9 avian influenza — a strain of bird flu.

The victims include an 87-year-old man in Shanghai who got sick Feb. 19 and died March

4, a 27-year-old man, also in Shanghai who became ill Feb. 27 and died March 10 and a

35-year-old woman in the Chuzhou City of Anhui who became ill on March 9 and is now in a

critical condition. She is known to have had contact with poultry before she became ill.

“What’s alarming is that it appears that all three of them got the flu separately from

each other. The World Health Organization has been notified.” http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/index(Via

WABC) According to China's National Health and Family

Planning Commission, all three became ill with coughs and fevers before developing pneumonia.

This strain of avian flu is not known to have been transmitted to humans before.

South China Morning Post says the symptoms are the onset of early respiratory infection,

but then develop into severe pneumonia. Chinese authorities urged citizens to “avoid direct

contact with poultry and birds, and their droppings.”

Another strain of bird flu, H5N1, has led to more than 360 confirmed human deaths since

2003 and the deaths of tens of millions of birds.

According to the BBC, “The World Health Organization says that most avian flu viruses

do not infect humans and the majority of H5N1 cases have been associated with contact with

infected poultry.” China’s Centre for Health and Protection

says if someone comes into contact with poultry, they should be sure to wash their hands thoroughly

with soap and water.