A 62-year-old man died because of H7N9 virus in Hong Kong on Friday, the second case of bird flu death in the autonomous city, according to hospital authorities. 

The man reportedly visited the Chinese city of Guangzhou in mid-December and was admitted to a hospital in the neighboring Dongguan earlier this week. He was later shifted to a hospital in Hong Kong on Wednesday.

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The identity and other important details of the man are still to be ascertained.   

As per the information provided by the Center for Health Protection, the patient had claimed that he had no recent exposure to poultry or wet markets.

Hong Kong has so far reported three cases of H7N9 in a mere three weeks; the first patient succumbed to death on Christmas eve. Interestingly, all three patients had made a brief trip to Southern China before arriving at the autonomous city. 

In Mainland China, bird flu has so far taken lives of at least four people this season, with the latest case of death reported in the eastern province of Shandong on Thursday. Chinese authorities have also confirmed that 19 citizens have so far been diagnosed with H7N9 virus.

Last month, the bird flu scare had prompted Chinese authorities in Suzhou City, a part of the eastern province of Jiangsu, to temporarily suspend live poultry trading. The decision was made as a precautionary measure to prevent the further spread of H7N9 virus. 

China witnessed its last major bird flu outbreak between late 2013 and early 2014, when as many as 36 patients were succumbed to death.          

TagsHong Kong, Hong Kong Bird Flu, China Bird Flu, China and Hong Kong, china, bird flu