Bird flu strikes down 12th victim

A man died from bird flu in central China's Hubei Province on Wednesday, local health authorities confirmed on Thursday. The 21-year-old man, surnamed Lai, who was employed as a migrant worker in Wuhan, capital of Hubei, started showing symptoms of fever and pneumonia on April 1. He was hospitalized in Wuhan after being diagnosed with the lethal H5N1 strain on Monday. China has reported 17 human cases of bird flu, including 12 deaths.