A 21-year-old woman from Hunan province has been confirmed as having bird flu, the local health bureau said over the weekend.

She is the eighth case to be reported this year, with five people having died from the virus. Just three infections were reported last year.

The woman, a farmer surnamed Shu from Huaihua, had been in close contact with poultry that had died from the flu and became sick on Jan 23, the bureau said.