21-year-old woman dies of bird flu in southwest China

BEIJING – A 21-year-old woman who contracted the H5N1 strain of bird flu has died in southwest China.

The health department of the city of Guiyang says the woman died Wednesday of multiple organ failure.

The woman was one of two people who were reported last week to have contracted bird flu. Authorities said they found no evidence the patients had contact with poultry before falling ill.

Most bird flu cases in humans come from close contact with infected poultry. Epidemiologists fear the virus might eventually mutate into a form that is highly contagious among people.