HK Confirms Dead Beijing Woman Had H5N1 Bird Flu

`The woman fell ill on Dec. 24, was hospitalised on Dec. 27 and died on Monday (at) 7.20 am`, the bureau said in a faxed statement.

A 19-year-old woman has died of the H5N1 bird flu virus in Beijing, the Beijing Municipal Bureau and Hong Kong's government said on Tuesday.

"The woman fell ill on Dec. 24, was hospitalised on Dec. 27 and died on Monday (at) 7.20 am," the bureau said in a faxed statement.

Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection said the woman had had contact with poultry before the onset of symptoms. China's official Xinhua News Agency earlier reported the woman had bought nine ducks at a market in Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing.