LOCAL health authorities say a bus driver has tested positive for the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong where two birds were confirmed to have the same virus last week.

The 39-year-old man named Chen was hospitalised with a fever on December 21 and tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 on Friday, said a statement.



Guangdong experts suspect Chen has been infected with H5N1 and have reported the case to the Health Ministry for further diagnosis.



Chen is in critical condition and receiving emergency treatment, it said, adding that during the month prior to his fever, he had no direct contact with poultry and had not travelled out of Shenzhen.



The news comes a week after two dead birds tested positive for the same virus in Hong Kong, separated from Shenzhen by a small river.



More than 19,000 birds at a Hong Kong market were slaughtered and imports and sales of live poultry were banned for three weeks after a chicken carcass tested positive for H5N1. Lab tests later confirmed that an Oriental magpie robin found dead on December 17 was also infected.



WHO says globally there have been 336 human deaths from 573 confirmed bird flu cases since 2003 when it was first detected.



The majority of human cases of H5N1 infection have been associated with direct or indirect contact with infected poultry.



Originally published as Chinese man has bird flu, authorities say