BEIJING: China reported its fourth human death from the H5N1 bird flu virus this month yesterday, this time in the far northwest region of Xinjiang.

The Chinese Health Ministry said on its website (www.moh.gov.cn) the latest victim was a 31-year-old woman surnamed Zhang who died in the early hours of Friday.

Experts have confirmed that the woman, a resident of the regional capital Urumqi, was infected with the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus, Xinhua news agency reported. She fell ill two weeks ago.