China's government says 79 people died from H7N9 bird flu in January, far surpassing the number of deaths in the same month in recent years and stoking worries about the spread of the virus.
Authorities have repeatedly warned the public to stay alert for H7N9 avian flu, especially during the winter and spring, and cautioned against panic in the world's second-largest economy.
January's fatalities bring China's total death toll from the H7N9 strain to 100 people since October.
In previous years, fatalities ranged between 20 and 31 for January, according to data released by the National Health and Family Planning Commission late on Tuesday.
China, which first reported a human infection from the virus in March 2013, has seen a sharp rise in H7N9 infections since December.
Some 192 people were infected in China last month, the commission said, bringing the total since October to 306. Most of the H7N9 human infections reported this season have been in the south and along the coast.
China has confirmed five bird flu outbreaks among poultry this winter, which has led to the culling of more than 175,000 birds.
The last major outbreak in China was in 2013, causing more than $US6 billion ($A7.8 billion) in losses for the agricultural sector.
