HANGZHOU - East China's Zhejiang province reported three new H7N9 bird flu cases on Saturday, bringing the total number of human infections there to 47.

Zhejiang, which has seen new H7N9 cases for 17 consecutive days, is home to the largest number of human infections among all provincial-level regions so far this year.

The three patients are a 49-year-old male worker from the city of Huzhou and two female farmers, aged 48 and 60 respectively, from the city of Ningbo.

All of the three, who were confirmed to have been sicken by the H7N9 virus Friday, are in severe conditions.

Also on Saturday, J

iangsu reported one more H7N9 case, bring total infections in the eastern province to four.

The patient, a 57-year-old man from Suzhou, is in a serious condition.

Several other regions, including Shanghai, Guangdong, Fujian and Beijing, also have reported H7N9 human infections so far this year. In Shanghai, four out of eight patients have died from the deadly virus.

With the forthcoming Chinese Lunar New Year, health experts have called on the public to stay away from live poultry and to have good hygiene habits as some birds carrying the H7N9 virus are the sources of sporadic infections.