China confirms woman died of bird flu in Beijing

BEIJING/HONGKONG (Reuters) - A 19-year-old woman has died of the H5N1 bird flu virus in Beijing after coming into contact with poultry, health authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong said on Tuesday.

This human H5N1 case would be China's first in almost a year. Experts said while the case was not unexpected as the virus is more active during the cooler months between October and March, it points to holes in surveillance of the virus in poultry.

With the world's biggest poultry population and hundreds of millions of farmers raising birds in their backyards, China is seen as crucial in the global fight against bird flu.

"The woman fell ill on December 24, was hospitalised on December 27 and died on Monday (at) 7.20 am," the Beijing Municipal Bureau said in a faxed statement.

Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection said the woman had had contact with poultry before falling ill.

China's official Xinhua News Agency earlier reported that the woman from eastern Fujian province had bought nine ducks at a market in Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing, and then gutted the birds.

She gave three ducks to her father, uncle and a friend and kept the other six ducks, the agency reported.

It added that 116 people, including the patient's 14 family members and neighbour and 102 medical workers, had been in close contact with the patient.

A total of 13 people consumed the ducks bought by the victim, but she was the only one who fell ill, Xinhua said. The market was open for business on Tuesday night and ducks were still being sold there, it said.