SHANGHAI
Bird flu virus had no connection with dead pig samples from the Huangpu River where two men died due to the infections of a new avian influenza strain, H7N9, the city government said.
Another woman working in a pig breeding farm in Nianji province in Jiangsu also contracted the virus and is in a critical condition.
On the other hand, apprehension continues as one of the victims of the avian influenza was a pork butcher.
Experts warn against consuming pork, with reference to the suspicion of over 13 thousand dead pigs taken out of the Huangpu River, that provides drinking water to residents in Shanghai, might have caused the avian influenza.
World Health Organization warned
Dr. Lan Ruiming, China representative of World Health Organization, said, "The possibility of the connection between the influenza and dead pigs shouldn't be ignored."
China's National Health and Family Planning Commission said it was unclear how the three had been infected. The commission said in a statement that all three showed initial symptoms of coughing and fever, which later developed into pneumonia and respiratory difficulties.
The government said that the three had not had mutual contact and that 88 people who had contact with them did not appear to have been affected.
Another strain of avian influenza, H5N1, has led to hundreds of deaths since 2003 and has killed millions of birds.
