Public on H7N9 alert

The H7N9 avian influenza is only likely to spread from human to human on a limited basis, but the public should stay alert over the coming months, Zhong Nanshan, a renowned respiratory disease expert and member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said in a speech at a forum on Thursday, according to the China News Service.

Zhong illustrated the possible infection among human beings with two confirmed mainland cases, in which separate people were infected after taking care of patients with H7N9 but without coming into contact with any poultry.