Beijing - A 16-year-old boy died Tuesday of bird flu, becoming the third person in China in a little more than two weeks to succumb to the disease.

The boy died of H5N1 in Huaihua in the central province of Hunan, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing provincial health officials. They said he had contact with poultry, it reported.

Earlier, a senior government virus expert warned of an "epidemic" and said more human infections were expected.

Shu Yuelong, vice director of virus control and prevention with the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said prevention measures must be improved and called on China's people to avoid contact with poultry, especially sick or dead birds.

A 27-year-old woman died Saturday of avian flu in the eastern coastal province of Shandong while a 19-year-old woman died January 5 in Beijing.

A 2-year-old girl is also in critical condition with the disease in a hospital in the northern province of Shanxi.

Before China reported its three deaths this year, the UN's World Health Organization had confirmed 248 human bird-flu fatalities from 394 infections in 15 Asian and African countries. China's recent deaths brought its bird-flu fatalities to 23 from 34 infections.

The latest victim was only identified by his family name, Wu. Xinhua said he become sick on January 8 in the south-western province of Guizhou and was transferred to a Huaihua hospital Friday.

Most people who have contracted bird flu have come in close contact with infected poultry, but experts said they fear that the virus could mutate into a form that could be easily passed from human to human, resulting in a worldwide pandemic. (dpa)