Bird flu toll in China rises to 24

An 89-year-old man has died in Shanghai from bird flu, raising the toll from the outbreak of the H7N9 strain of the disease to 24, media reports said.

A total of 13 people have died in the industrial metropolis of Shanghai alone.
Health officials have registered 126 cases of bird flu in China, the media said Tuesday.

The latest victim had pneumonia and had been diagnosed with H7N9 bird flu two weeks ago.

No new cases have been reported in Shanghai, the National Health and Family Planning Commission said.

Nine people who came into contact with the elderly man are under observation and have not exhibited any symptoms of the disease, following the pattern seen in other cases and leading specialists to conclude that the virus cannot be transmitted between humans.

If there is no human-to-human transmission, the danger of a pandemic can be ruled out.
Shanghai has registered 33 cases of H7N9, with nine patients in clinical isolation and 11 others already released.