The Chinese Ministry of Health on Monday confirmed a man had died from the H5N1 bird flu virus in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The victim, a 62-year-old farmer, became ill on June 19, and died on July 12.

Epidemiological research showed the man did not have close contact with any human cases of bird flu and sick or dead poultry in the last month of his life.

The regional center for disease control (CDC) and prevention tested his samples and got negative results 14 days after he fell ill, but the re-test by the national CDC on July 16 indicated he was H5N1 positive.

On August 2, the national CDC tested the rest of his samples left from previous tests and again got positive results, said the ministry.

The ministry confirmed it as a human case of bird flu by both Chinese and WHO standards and reported the new case to the World Health Organization.

Local health authorities have tightened prevention and control measures and have found no abnormal symptoms of the people who had close contact with the farmer.

This case brings China's total human cases of bird flu to 21 and the death toll from the disease to 14.

Source: Xinhua