A man in southwest China's Guizhou Province who was confirmed to be infected with bird flu was in stable condition, local health authorities in the provincial capital said Monday. It was the sixth case of human bird flu detected in China this year.

None of the 125 people who had close contact with the patient have been found to be ill so far, an official with the provincial health bureau said.

The official added that 26 people were removed from medical surveillance as of 6 p.m. Sunday.

The patient, surnamed Zhou, fell ill on Jan. 15 in Guiyang City. He was then sent to Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital.

Zhou tested positive for the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, according to the test result released Sunday by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Ministry of Health has reported the case to the World Health Organization and informed health authorities in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

The country, which has reported four bird flu deaths, said it would be challenging to prevent the disease from spreading during the annual mass migration for the traditional Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year, which officially began Monday.

(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2009)