A patient suffering from the H5N6 strain of avian flu died in Shenzhen City in south China's Guangdong Province, local authorities said.
The patient, a 26-year-old woman, died on Dec. 30. Gene analysis of a sample from the Shenzhen patient indicated her infection was from contact with live poultry or a poultry market, said an expert with the Shenzhen Municipal Disease Control and Prevention Center.
Another infected patient in Guangdong, a 40-year-old woman from Zhaoqing City, is in serious condition and receiving hospital treatment, according to an official with the Zhaoqing Municipal Health and Family Planning Bureau.
Guangdong has reported three H5N6 infections so far.
The world's first human H5N6 infection was reported in May 2014 in southwest China's Sichuan Province.