China says bird flu patient recovers, goes home

BEIJING, May 29 (Reuters) - A farmer who contracted bird flu in southeastern China has recovered after a three-month stay in hospital and has gone home, the official Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday.

"After three months´ treatment, Li Yinxiu recovered and left hospital at 8:25 on Tuesday," it said in a brief report.

Li, from Jianou in southeastern Fujian province, was confirmed to have been infected with the H5N1 form of the virus in March, and was China"e;s first human case in about seven weeks.

Over the weekend, Beijing confirmed another case, a 19-year-old soldier surnamed Cheng, who is receiving treatment at a military hospital.

China has reported 25 human cases of bird flu since 2003, and 15 deaths.

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