NANCHANG, Dec. 18 -- Health authorities in east China's Jiangxi Province on Wednesday confirmed a human case of H10N8, a new strain of bird flu to infect people.

A 73-year-old woman, who died of respiratory failure on Dec. 6, was later confirmed to have been carrying the H10N8 virus by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a statement issued by the emergency response office of the provincial health department.

The statement did not mention whether her death was connected to the bird flu virus.

The woman, who was being treated in a hospital in the provincial capital of Nanchang, was diagnosed with severe pneumonia, along with high blood pressure, a neuromuscular disorder and suffered a heart attack.

She had visited a live bird market. Her relatives who had been in contact with her have so far shown no abnormal symptoms.

Health experts said H10N8 existed among birds, but human infection had never been reported before. The National Health and Family Planning Commission was not available for comment.