Suzhou City, a part of the eastern province of Jiangsu, suspended live poultry trading as of last Sunday (Dec. 25) midnight (16:00 GMT) as a precautionary measure after nearby provinces reported bird flu infection cases, according to People's Daily.  

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The report came closely on the heels of the news that two people in Anhui province this week died due to the infection, the first reported bird flu causalities this winter season. The province has reported at least five bird flu infections since Dec. 8.

Local officials in Anhui, which has population of roughly 60 million, have pulled the shutters down on many poultry markets and increased sterilization process to prevent the virus from spreading further. Some officials claimed that few chickens were also 'culled' as a precautionary measure.

Human bird flu infections have also been reported in Hong Kong and Macau over the past week. One patient in Macau surnamed Yang will likely be discharged soon after the 10-day quarantine period.

The last major bird flu epidemic that happened in mainland China between late 2013 and early 2014 killed nearly 36 people. The epidemic also led to more than $6 billion loss for the agricultural and poultry sectors. 

The World Health Organization claimed that Bird Flu or H7N9 virus cannot be easily transmitted from person to person.     

TagsChina Suzhou, Bird Flu Concerns, china, China Poultry Trade, bird flu