China says four dead from bird flu

BEIJING, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Authorities in China say bird flu has killed four people this month.

The latest victim was a 31-year-old woman who died Friday after visiting a poultry market in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Xinhua, China's state-run news agency, reported Saturday.

The woman was infected with the H5N1 strain of bird flu, said the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Other deaths this month from the strain include a 19-year-old woman in Beijing on Jan. 5, a 27-year-old woman in Shandong Jan. 17 and a 16-year-old boy in Hunan Jan. 20.