The Ministry of Health had confirmed on Tuesday that a 44-year old woman surnamed Zhang had died of H5N1 strain of bird flu in Haifeng County in Guangdong province after she was found to have had contact with poultry.

Poultry near the residence of the dead patient have been subjected to vaccination and disinfection, the Guangdong Agricultural Department said.

The provincial forestry bureau also issued an emergency notice to tighten monitoring on migratory birds, official news agency said.

Bird flu has claimed three lives this year in China, which has the world's biggest poultry population.

China has reported 30 confirmed cases of human bird flu since 2003, 20 of them fatal.

Source: DDNEWS