But no H7N9 bird flu cases have been detected in the 198 people who have been working close to the poultry wholesale bazaar in Dongguan's Dongcheng district since 27 April.

He Jianfeng, director of Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said 27 April was when a suspected H7N9 virus case was reported from a chicken sample there.

"The chicken is just a virus carrier, and the chicken itself did not become ill," Mr Jianfeng told local media on Sunday (5 May).

To prevent H7N9 from spreading in the southern province, 89,864 poultry were immediately slaughtered, and major poultry farms and bazaars have been sterilized in Dongguan, a booming city in the Pearl River delta, he said.

By the end of 5 May, government departments had launched inspections of more than 130,000 poultry farms and special bazaars in the province, which borders the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

None of the 2,918 personnel who have close contact with live poultry in the province were found to have contracted the deadly H7N9 virus bird flu, Mr Jianfeng added.

He urged locals not to panic, as chickens still have to pass strict examinations on H7N9 virus before they are allowed to be sold in local bazaars and in local hotels and restaurants.