A deadly new bird flu virus has struck again in China – striking down four people in a previously unaffected part of the country, it has been announced.
The latest victims are in the Jiangsu province of the country and all four patients are unconnected, health officials said.
Three other people have been identified as being infected by the virus – H7N9 – and two of them have died in Shanghai and in the Anhui province.
Tests on close contacts of the four patients have found no trace of infection – as in the earlier cases, officials said. All four patients are critically ill.
The World Health Organisation said early tests suggested the virus should be treatable with anti-flu drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir.
A spokesman added: "No vaccine is currently available for this subtype of the influenza virus."
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