H7N9 influenza virus can spread from person to person

"Under favorable conditions, the H7N9 virus can be transmitted from person to person," the researchers report concludes.

The strain of H7N9, also known as "bird flu," can be transmitted from mammals, and can therefore be passed from one person to another. It was the news of AFP that led from Chinese scientists' reports. Within the experiments, researchers from the University of Hong Kong and Shantou have identified the mechanism of transmission of viruses among ferrets. Previously, the first infection was thought to be birds, but no cases of transmission between mammals were recorded.

"Under favorable conditions, the H7N9 virus can be transmitted from person to person," the researchers report concludes.

As a result of the spread in some provinces in central and eastern China, the number of people infected with H7N9 is 131, of which 36 have died. Researchers say they will continue their work to determine the mechanism of infection, fearing a scary outbreak of a pandemic.