JINAN -- A new human H7N9 avian flu case has been reported in East China's Shandong province, the first case in the region since autumn of 2015, a spokesman with the provincial health and family planning commission said on Friday.

A 57-year-old infected man is in a critical condition at a hospital in Yantai City. He was diagnosed with the flu on Wednesday night and has been in contact with poultry.

H7N9 was first reported to have infected humans in China in March 2013. It is most likely to strike in winter and spring.

From last September to Feb. 1, 44 H7N9 human cases, including 10 deaths, have been reported on the Chinese mainland, 70 fewer cases than the same period of the previous year, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

The decrease of reported cases has been attributed to tougher controls of live poultry markets.