China has confirmed its seventh human infection and third human death from bird flu. Officials say a 41-year old factory worker died from the disease over a week ago. The victim, a woman surnamed Zhou, died on December 21. Like previous human victims of the H5N1 virus in China, she apparently contracted the disease in an area that has not officially reported previous outbreaks among birds. The Health Ministry says "no H5N1 bird flu outbreak in animals was detected in the area where the new case was reported", the Xinhua news agency reports. Ms Zhou "showed symptoms of fever and pneumonia" on December 6 and was admitted to hospital two days later. Initial tests for the H5N1 virus were negative but later tests by provincial investigators and China's Centre of Disease Control showed positive results. H5N1 is the bird flu virus that scientists fear may mutate into a strain that can spread easily among people, unleashing a human pandemic that could kill millions. "Zhou has been confirmed to be infected with bird flu in accordance with the standards of the World Health Organisation and the Chinese government," the Health Ministry said. The H5N1 virus has killed more than 70 people in Asia since late 2003 and is endemic in poultry flocks across parts of the region.