Citizen in Shanghai using masks to prevent H7N9 virus on Monday. Photo: VNA

Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general of the World Health Organization (WTO) said at a press conference in Shanghai on Monday that there has been no evidence that the H7N9 flu has been transmitted from human to human in China, although the country has confirmed several cases of multiple family members contracting H7N9. According to Fukuda, the reason for several members of a family contracting H7N9 has not been clarified, but there is no evidence that the disease can be transmitted between humans, and accepted procedure involves studying the common exposure history to determine a cause of infection. Chinese officials still affirm that the virus can be transmitted from bird to human. One unusual fact about H7N9 is that a number of elderly persons contracted the disease with no known bird contact. China announced the first H7N9 case in humans on March 31. As of Monday, there have been 104 cases reported and 21 people have died of H7N9 in China.