BEIJING - China's Ministry of Finance said Wednesday it has allocated 303 million yuan ($48.6 million) from the central coffers to better prevent human infections of the H7N9 avian flu.

The money will be used to subsidize projects aimed at monitoring cases of H7N9 infection, influenza-like illnesses, severe acute respiratory infection and unexplained pneumonia, the MOF said in a statement.

In another move to help contain infections, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on Wednesday ordered local authorities to allow medical insurance programs to cover more medicine and services for H7N9-infected patients to reduce the financial burden on them.

As of 4 pm on Wednesday, the deadly bird flu had infected 109 people in Chinese mainland and Taiwan and killed 22 of them, official data showed.

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