China on Thursday confirmed its second human fatality from bird flu this year.

The victim, a man identified as Liang, aged 41, died on Wednesday morning in southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Ministry of Health said in a statement posted on its Website late yesterday.

The unemployed man in the regional capital of Nanning fell ill on February 12. He was hospitalized two days later when the illness deteriorated, according to the statement. His conditioned turned for worse on Monday.

Liang had been in contact with sick domestic poultry, and a specimen sent to China's disease control and prevention center confirmed he was infected with the H5N1 virus. Authorities have put all those who had close contact with Liang under medical observation, and so far no abnormalities have been detected.

The ministry has reported the case to the World Health Organization, authorities in Hong Kong and some foreign governments.

Liang was the 19th person in China killed by avian flu since late 2003. Ten other infected people survived after treatment during the period.

A 22-year-old man from central China's Hunan Province died on January 24 of the H5N1 strain.

The man surnamed Li, of Jianghua County, Yongzhou City, suffered fever and headache on January 16 and was hospitalized on January 22.

(Shanghai Daily February 22, 2008)