China Reports Human Bird-Flu Case

(RFE/RL)

May 26, 2007 -- China's Health Ministry says a soldier has contracted the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, which is potentially lethal to humans.

In a statement posted today on its website, the ministry says the 19-year-old soldier, identified only as Cheng, is receiving treatment at a military hospital.

China has reported two other human cases of bird flu this year, including a 16-year-old boy who died in March.

According to the World Health Organization, the virus has killed 186 people worldwide since 2003, including 15 in China.

(Reuters, AP)