Bird Flu Kills 5 in China, CDC Begins Work on Searching for Vaccine

The death toll from a new strain of bird flu rose to five in China on Thursday, authorities said while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said work has already begun on searching for a cure.

China has confirmed 14 cases of the latest bird flu strain: six in Shanghai, four in Jiangsu, three in Zhejiang and one in Anhui province. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), three of the most recent fatal cases involved men: a 38-year-old from Zhejiang province, in eastern China, who became sick March 7; a 64-year-old, also from Zhejiang, who became ill March 28; and a 48-year-old from Shanghai who also became sick March 28.

Meanwhile, early Friday morning in China, the government had confirmed five deaths - as opposed to the CDC's total of six with four in Shanghai and one in Zhejiang province.

H7N9 bird flu is considered a low pathogenic strain that cannot easily be contracted by humans. The overwhelming majority of human deaths from bird flu have been caused by the more virulent H5N1, which decimated poultry stocks across Asia in 2003.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spokesman Tom Skinner said on Thursday it is monitoring the new influenza virus and has started work on a vaccine just in case it is needed, according to Reuters.

H7N9 bird flu is considered a low pathogenic strain that cannot easily be contracted by humans. The overwhelming majority of human deaths from bird flu have been caused by the more virulent H5N1, which decimated poultry stocks across Asia in 2003.

China's government has also advised people to maintain good personal hygiene, including frequent hand-washing and avoid direct contact with sick or dead animals.

The WHO is not recommending any travel or trade restrictions.