JINAN/NANCHANG -- Five human H7N9 avian flu cases were reported in East China's Shandong and Jiangxi provinces as well as the central province of Hunan on January 7, local authorities said.

The male patient from Shandong's Laiwu City, 53, is receiving treatment in the provincial capital of Jinan.

Local health sectors have conducted investigations, risk evaluations and disinfected possible areas of transmission to prevent the virus from spreading.h Three patients, two females and a male aged at 72, 83 and 48, have been hospitalized in Jiangxi. The local health authorities said the two female patients were in serious condition.

According to the Hunan provincial disease control and prevention center, the patient, a 35-year-old male from Zhuzhou City, is in serious condition. He was confirmed to have had close contact with poultry before being hospitalized.

Another two H7N9 cases were reported in Shenzhen City in south China's Guangdong Province on Friday. An H7N9 patient died in Shandong's Rizhao City on Tuesday.

H7N9, a bird flu strain most likely to strike in winter and spring, was first reported to have infected humans in China in March 2013.