BEIJING - Eight people in the provinces of Zhejiang, Shaanxi, Gansu and Liaoning have been detained by police for spreading online rumors about the deadly H7N9 bird flu virus, local authorities said Thursday.

They are being detained for up to ten days for fabricating online posts about H7N9 infections that caused panic among some netizens and local residents, according to the provinces' public security departments.

39 H7N9 cases have been reported in China thus far, including nine that have resulted in death.

Three other people in Southwest China's Guizhou province have been detained by police for spreading online rumors about the virus, local police said Wednesday.