| "A 19-year-old Chinese soldier has died of the virulent strain of bird flu, the country's 16th reported death from the virus, the World Health Organization said Tuesday." "The man, who was stationed in the southern province of Fujian, died Sunday after being hospitalized May 14 with a fever and a cough, said Joanna Brent, a spokeswoman for the WHO's Beijing office." "The Health Ministry informed the WHO about the death Sunday but did not give any details about his case, including how he contracted the H5N1 strain, where exactly he was posted or if other people were at risk, Brent said." "The People's Liberation Army has put all of the soldier's contacts under close observation and "so far there are no clinical abnormalities. We understand it's an individual case," Brent said." "A woman who answered the telephone at the press office of the Health Ministry said she could not provide any details of the case." "China's military is extremely secretive, which complicates cooperation with international organizations. Telephones were not answered at the Ministry of National Defense." "Last year, it was disclosed that new tests on the body of a 24-year-old soldier who died in 2003 in Beijing confirmed that he succumbed to bird flu ? one of the earliest deaths in a resurgent wave of the disease that swept through the region." "The military has yet to provide a promised virus sample from that case, the WHO has
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