H7N9 death toll reaches 27

A man has died in central China's Hunan Province, after being infected with the H7N9 avian flu virus. Local health officials say the 55-year-old died on Wednesday morning, despite medical treatment.

The victim came from neighboring Jiangxi Province, but was transferred to the Changsha Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Hunan last Friday. The latest case of bird flu infection has also been reported in Hunan province, with a 69-year-old farmer testing positive on Tuesday evening. He's reported to be in a critical condition.

So far, 127 people on the Chinese mainland have been infected with H7N9. 27 have died, while 26 have made a full recovery. Cases have been reported in 10 provinces on the Chinese mainland, with one infection in Taiwan. So far there's been no evidence of human to human transmission of the virus.

   Special report:

    H7N9 avian influenza