Dec 4 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on its Web site on Tuesday that a 24-year-old man from Jiangsu province in eastern China died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu.

It was China's first case since June and brought its death toll from the disease to 17.

Hundreds of millions of birds have died or been culled.

Following is a list of confirmed human cases of H5N1. Total cases include survivors.

Deaths Total cases AZERBAIJAN 5 8 CAMBODIA 7 7 CHINA 17 26 DJIBOUTI 0 1 EGYPT 15 38 INDONESIA 91 113 IRAQ 2 3 LAOS 2 2 NIGERIA 1 1 THAILAND 17 25 TURKEY 4 12 VIETNAM 46 100 ------------------------------------------------- TOTAL 207 336 -------------------------------------------------

Initial tests usually take a day or two to confirm if someone has H5N1. More detailed testing by government laboratories or those affiliated with the WHO can take a week or more.

The H5N1 virus remains mainly a virus of birds, but experts fear it could change into a form easily transmitted from person to person and sweep the world, killing millions.

So far, most human cases can be traced to direct or indirect contact with infected birds. (Writing by David Cutler and Keith Weir, London Editorial Reference Unit)

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