9 punished for spreading H7N9 rumor online

Nine people from south China's Guangdong Province have been punished after they allegedly spread rumors about H7N9 bird flu on the Internet, local authorities said on Saturday.

A 23-year-old man surnamed Su and a 23-year-old woman surnamed Yuan were detained on Friday and will remain in detention for 5 days, according to the police authority of Huizhou City.

Su and Yuan posted rumors on microblogs and Internet forums, which were disseminated widely among netizens, according to the police.

Another 7 people, who spread the rumors online, were fined 200 yuan (33 U.S. dollars) each, according to the police.

One post said a female doctor from Huizhou People's Hospital, who is pregnant, had died of H7N9 and doctors who participated in the emergency treatment had been quarantined.

Another post said more than 5,500 poultry and many people in Huizhou were infected with the bird flu.

Investigation by the city government's health, agricultural as well as industrial and commerce departments found these information untrue.

Four human H7N9 cases have been reported in Huizhou City since the first case was reported in August.