A 37-year-old farmer in east China's Anhui Province has been confirmed to have contracted the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the Ministry of Health announced Wednesday.

The man surnamed Li developed symptoms of fever and pneumonia on Dec. 10 and was discharged from hospital on Jan. 6 in Tunxi, Anhui Province, after a full recovery, the ministry said.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed on Monday that Li tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain, the ministry said.

It is the first human bird flu case reported on the Chinese mainland this winter.

The ministry said the Anhui provincial health department reported the case on Tuesday and it has already reported it to the World Health Organization.

Relevant information has also been conveyed to the health agencies of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, the ministry said.

Local health authorities said those who had had close contact with the patient showed no abnormal symptoms and had been released from medical observation.

The ministry said no animal bird flu cases were reported in the area and local authorities are closely monitoring the situation.

(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2007)