The Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission issued an online notice on Tuesday to help ensure access to medical treatment for rural people infected with H7N9.

More than 98 percent of the mainland's rural population is covered by the New Rural Cooperative Medical Care System, which is government-subsidized.

"The document aims to ensure the economic and medical security of rural people who might be infected by the new bird flu variant under the existing insurance policy and to help ease the economic burden from medical treatment for H7N9 infections," said Deng Haihua, a spokesman for the commission.