The latest victim was a 41-year-old female factory worker identified as Zhou, living in Sanming City, east China's Fujian Province.

The Ministry of Health said she showed symptoms of fever and pneumonia on Dec. 6 and was hospitalized two days later. She died Dec. 21.

Local health authorities found no bird flu outbreak in the area where the new case was reported, the Health Ministry told the news agency Xinhua.

Previously, the ministry had reported six human cases of bird flu, including two fatalities in east China's Anhui Province.