GUANGZHOU-- Two more H7N9 cases have been reported in South China's Guangdong province, raising the province's total infections to 67 this year, local health authorities said Sunday.

A 62-year-old man in Foshan City and a 57-year-old man in Jiangmen City were diagnosed with the disease on Friday, the provincial health and family planning commission said.

Both men are in a critical condition.

H7N9 is a bird flu strain first reported to have infected humans in March 2013. H7N9 human infections generally peak in winter and spring.

To prevent an epidemic, the provincial government banned live poultry trading at all markets from Feb. 19 to 28, the first 10 days of the Chinese Lunar Year.

Several other Chinese localities including Shanghai, Fujian, Guizhou and Zhejiang have also reported human cases of H7N9 this winter.