BEIJING - Beijing has confirmed this year's second human case of the H7N9 bird flu, the local health authority said Thursday.

The patient, who was still in critical condition Thursday, had raised, traded and slaughtered live poultry before falling ill, the Beijing municipal health and family planning commission said in a press release.

The document said the case was confirmed by the municipal disease prevention and control center on Wednesday, but did not identify the patient.

The capital city's first human H7N9 case was reported on Jan 24. The patient, a man, had reportedly bought pigeons and eaten them before testing positive for H7N9 bird flu.?