An 18-year-old man died from bird flu on Monday in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the fifth human death from the H5N1 virus in China this year.

According to a press release posted on the website of the Ministry of Health, the man surnamed Liang fell ill on January 19 in Beiliu City of Guangxi.

Liang was transferred to Yulin Municipal Red Cross Hospital on January 24. He died on Monday.

The young man tested positive for the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, according to the test result on Monday from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The ministry said it had reported the case to the World Health Organization and informed the health authorities of China's Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2009)