Health chiefs in north China said Friday a 2-year-old girl who was critically ill with bird flu was out of danger after her vital signs remained stable for six consecutive days.

The health department of Shanxi Province said the girl surnamed Peng was still receiving treatment at the No. 4 People's Hospital in the provincial capital of Taiyuan.

The 67 people who had close contact with her had shown no signs of being affected, including 51 who had been discharged from medical observation, the department added.

Peng fell ill on Jan. 7 in central Hunan Province. She was taken to Shanxi by her grandparents on Jan. 11 and was confirmed to be infected with avian influenza on Jan. 17.

Three people have died of bird flu and another has been infected in China so far this year. The first death was a 19-year-old woman in Beijing on Jan. 5, followed by a 27-year-old woman in Shandong on Jan. 17 and a 16-year-old boy in Hunan on Jan. 20.

The death rate for bird flu patients is above 60 percent.

(Xinhua News Agency January 24, 2009)