Two people in China have died and one is ill after being infected with H7N9 avian flu — a sub-type that had not previously been transmitted to humans — the government said yesterday.

An 87-year-old man in Shanghai fell ill on Feb. 19 and died on March 4, while a 27-year-old man there got sick on Feb. 27 and died on March 10, the National Health and Family Planning Commission said. A 35-year-old woman in Anhui is in critical condition.