BEIJING (Reuters) - A 22-year-old Chinese man from thecentral province of Hunan has died of the H5N1 strain of birdflu, the second death from the disease since late last year,the Health Ministry said on Monday.

The man, surnamed Li, first noticed symptoms of fever andheadache on January 16. He went to hospital several days laterand died on January 24, the ministry said on its Web site.

The provincial disease control and prevention centresubsequently collected a specimen from the victim on February15, and the initial tests for the bird flu virus were positive.

A specimen was then sent to the Center for Disease Controland Prevention in Beijing, which confirmed it as testingpositive for the H5N1 virus on Sunday, the ministry said.

The ministry did not explain the reason for the delay intesting the victim for bird flu, but Hunan was one of theprovinces most badly hit by freak snowstorms that killed over100 people and cut off roads and power in many parts of centraland southern China in late January and early February.

The ministry said the local government had takenappropriate action.

"All people in close contact with the victim have beengiven strict medical examinations, and up until now no abnormalconditions have been discovered," it said in its statement.

It added that it had informed the World Health Organizationand other foreign government authorities of the case.

With the world's biggest poultry population and millions ofbackyard birds roaming free, China is at the centre of thefight against bird flu. The country has now had 28 human cases,including 18 deaths.

Scientists fear the bird flu virus could mutate into a formthat could pass easily from person to person, sparking a globalpandemic.

(Reporting by Jason Subler)