Special gene potentially responsible for Chinese fatal infections of H7N9 bird flu disease

The H7N9 strain of bird flu is continuing to spread and take the lives of Chinese citizens, despite government efforts to stem the outbreak. On Tuesday, three more people had died from the avian flu, state news reported, adding to the recent spike of fatalities this year. Two men, ages 76 and 52, from southern Guangdong province died earlier this week, while another from eastern Jiangsu province passed away over the weekend, bringing the total number of cases to 115, including 25 deaths. The rate at which the flu is spreading is cause for some alarm considering last year’s numbers. In 2013, there were a total of 144 infections and 46 deaths for the entire year, according to Chinese health officials. According to a report in the Oxford Journals of Clinical Infectious Diseases, the prevalence of the disease among Chinese could be related to a gene that makes them more prone...