China's second human bird flu infection

Chinese state media has confirmed a second case of human bird flu infection this week, as South Korea and Japan battle to control outbreaks of the deadly virus.

Poultry sales in the Siming district of Xiamen city, in China's eastern Fujian province, were halted on Thursday after a 44-year-old man was diagnosed with the H7N9 avian flu on Sunday, Xinhau reported citing the city's diseases prevention and control centre.

The patient is being treated in hospital and is stable condition, it said.

The latest incident comes after Hong Kong confirmed an elderly man was diagnosed with the disease earlier this week.

South Korea and Japan have ordered the killing of tens of millions of birds in the past month, stoking fears of regional spread.

Concerns about the spread of the virulent airborne bird flu comes as farmers in China are preparing for the year's peak demand during Lunar New Year celebrations at the end of January.

In light of the recent outbreaks nearby countries have begun feeding their flocks extra vitamins and ramping up vaccinations and henhouse sterilisations in a bid to protect their birds.

Chinese authorities announced on Wednesday it would ban imports of poultry from countries where there are outbreaks of highly pathogenic bird flu. It already prohibits imports from more than 60 nations, including Japan and South Korea.

H7N9 is a bird flu strain first reported to have infected humans in March 2013 in China.