A 39-year-old bus driver is suspected of being infected with the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus in the southern city of Shenzhen in Guangdong Province, local authorities said Friday.

The man surnamed Chen was hospitalized for a fever on Dec. 21 and tested positive for the H5N1 avian influenza virus in Bao'an District of Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong, the provincial health department said.

Chen is still in critical condition and is receiving emergency treatment, it said.

The department also said that during the previous month prior to his fever, he had no direct contact with poultry and had not traveled out of the city.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) said on Dec. 22 to suspend supplies of live poultry to Hong Kong after a dead chicken was tested positive in Hong Kong for the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus.

The AQSIQ said it would maintain close contact and work together with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to jointly step up measures in controlling the epidemic.