SHANGHAI, May 26 (Reuters) - A Chinese soldier has contracted the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the latest human case in the world´s most populous country, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

The 19-year-old soldier surnamed Cheng was diagnosed with the disease on May 18th and is receiving treatment at a military hospital, the ministry said in a statement.

The case has received high attention from China´s cabinet and military leaders, who have urged authorities to keep a close eye on people who had close contact with Cheng.

China´s most recent reported human death from bird flu was in March. Worldwide, the virus has killed 186 people since 2003, including 15 in China, according to the World Health Organisation.

China has millions of backyard birds and a strained rural medical system that is seen as key in the fight against bird flu.

Last weekend, China confirmed an outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus among poultry in the central province of Hunan, but no cases of human infection in the area hit.

The Health Ministry said on Saturday that it had reported the latest human bird flu case to the WHO as well as authorities in Hong Kong, Macau and a number of countries.