Beijing - A 44-year-old woman infected with H5N1 avian influenza died Monday in southern China's Guangdong province, the provincial health bureau said. The woman, identified only by the surname Zhang, had contact with dead poultry during her work in Guangdong's Haifeng county, the bureau reported on its website.
The bureau said it sent health experts to Haifeng after receiving
a report of the bird flu infection on Sunday, but emergency treatment failed to save Zhang's life.
Zhang's death was the third in China this year and the 20th fatality from the virus out of 30 reported human infections since 2003.
A 41-year-old man died last week from bird flu in the neighbouring southern region of Guangxi.
Experts have long warned that the virus might be more widespread in China, where dozens of outbreaks of H5N1 have been reported in poultry.
H5N1 bird flu had infected 366 people, including 232 who died, in 12 mainly Asian and African nations by February 21, according to World Hhealth Organisation statistics.
