HANGZHOU, Jan. 17 -- Three new human H7N9 cases were reported on Friday in east China's Zhejiang Province, bringing the total number to 17 in the region, local authorities said.

The new cases are a 66-year-old man surnamed Shen and a 54-year-old man surnamed Zhu, who are both from Wuxing district of Huzhou City and are in critical condition, according to a statement from the provincial health and family planning commission.

Another patient is a 62-year-old man surnamed Wang from the city of Hangzhou. He is in critical condition and is receiving treatment in hospital, it said.

So far this year, human H7N9 cases have also been reported in Jiangsu, Fujian and Guangdong provinces and Shanghai municipality. Two deaths have been reported in Zhejiang.