TAIPEI -- The first Taiwanese person to be infected with the H7N9 bird flu has recovered and left the hospital on Friday after 35 days of treatment, a spokesman for Taiwan University Hospital said on Friday.

The 53-year-old Taiwanese man, who had briefly stayed in east China's city of Suzhou, showed bird flu symptoms three days after returning to Taiwan via Shanghai on April 9.

The patient's health has improved significantly and the virus has not been detected in his upper and lower respiratory tracts, the hospital spokesman said at a press conference.

The patient, surnamed Lee, also attended the press conference. He has entrusted his family to express his gratitude for the medical team that helped him, as well as his apologies for causing panic on the island.

The Chinese mainland confirmed its first human H7N9 infections in late March. So far, it has reported 130 confirmed H7N9 cases, including 36 that have resulted in death.