The health authority in China’s Guangdong province said on Wednesday that a human had been infected with the H5N6 strain of bird flu in the city of Dongguan.
The infected patient, a 53-year-old male, was being treated in hospital, the Health Commission of Guangdong Province said in a statement.
Avian influenza, or bird flu, usually only affects birds, but there have been some cases of the virus jumping to humans. In July, an 11-year-old boy died in India from the H5N1 strain of bird flu.
In June, a man in China got infected with the H10N3 strain of bird flu, and in February, the H5N8 strain was detected in humans in Russia.
This year, countries in Europe, Asia and Africa have had bird flu outbreaks. Animal rights activists have long asked to reconsider the bird farming industry to prevent emerging diseases.
So far, the only solution governments have when bird flu is detected, is killing all animals.