China on Saturday confirmed a new human case of the deadly H5N1 type bird flu in a soldier serving in the People's Liberation Army.

The victim, identified only as Cheng (19) is now receiving treatment at an army hospital, China's Ministry of Health announced on its website.

The website did not indicate in which part of the country Cheng was stationed nor how he may have come in contact with the virus.

Cheng developed symptoms of fever, cough and pneumonia on May 9. He was sent to an army hospital on May 14 and has been hospitalised since then, Xinhua news agency reported.

Tests by local Centre for Disease Control and Prevention on May 18 show that he had been infected with bird flu virus strain H5N1. The result was confirmed by Chinese and PLA CDCs on Wednesday.

The website did not indicate the status of Cheng's condition.

The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed at least 14 people in China since 2003.

On May 19, China had confirmed an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu at Shijiping Village in central China's Hunan Province which killed over 11,000 heads of poultry.

Following the outbreak, 52,800 birds were culled to prevent any spread of the disease.

China has reported over 30 cases of bird flu last year which resulted in the mass cull of millions of poultry.