GUANGZHOU, Dec. 19 -- South China's Guangdong Province reported a new human H7N9 case on Thursday, raising the total number of H7N9 cases in the province to six since August.

The new patient is a 38-year-old resident surnamed Ou in Shenzhen city, according to the provincial health authority.

Ou showed symptons of fever and cough on Dec.9 and went to a clinic in Nanling village of Longgang District.

On Dec. 17, a sample from the patient tested positive for the H7N9 avian influenza virus at the Shenzhen disease control and prevention center, and the results were confimed by provincial authorities one day later.

The patient is receiving treatment at the Shenzhen No. 3 People's Hospital and is in critical condition.

So far, Guangdong has confirmed six human H7N9 cases since Aug. 10, with two in Dongguan, two in Yangjiang, one in Huizhou and one in Shenzhen. The province's first case, a 51-year-old woman in Huizhou, recovered in September after being treated in a hospital for more than one month.