The H7N9 strain had not been transmitted to humans before, it added.
In a separate release, the commission said there are currently no vaccines
against H7N9.
It also explained that the delay in announcing the results was because it took
time to determine the cause of the illnesses.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), in an emailed statement to AFP, said
there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission in the three reported
cases.
It also said transmission to humans “would appear to be inefficient,
leading us to believe that the risk to public health is lowâ€.
But the WHO said it was continuing closely to monitor the situation.
China is considered one of the nations most at risk from bird flu because it
has the world’s biggest poultry population and many chickens in rural areas
are kept close to humans.
It has in the past been accused of covering up the extent of bird flu
outbreaks, exacerbating fears when new cases are reported.
The WHO says more than 360 confirmed human deaths from the H5N1 strain of
avian influenza have been reported to it globally from 2003 until March 12
this year.
It says other subtypes have infected humans, including H7N7 and H9N2, and some
of these infections led to deaths.
Edited for Telegraph.co.uk by Barney
Henderson
