GUANGZHOU, May 26 -- A new human case of the H7N9 avian flu strain has been reported in south China's Guangdong Province, the provincial health and family planning commission said Thursday.

The 63-year-old male patient in Meizhou City is the 12th H7N9 case reported in Guangdong this year. Four out of the 12 infected patients died, the commission said.

The number of infections this year decreased by 83 percent compared with the same period of last year, according to the commission.

H7N9 is a bird flu strain first reported to have infected humans in March 2013 in China. It is most likely to strike in winter and spring.