February 5, 2004

China Confirms Four New Bird Flu Cases

China confirmed four more bird flu cases, with one in a new province, and said three more suspected outbreaks had been detected.

Three cases were confirmed in the eastern province of Anhui and one was determined in the southeastern province of Jiangxi - where no previous cases of bird flu had been confirmed, state television said, citing Ministry of Agriculture.

One suspected case each was also found in Jiangxi, Guangdong and the nearby Yunnan province, China Central Television said on its evening newscast.

The report did not say what kind of birds were infected or give any other details.

The latest figures means that avian influenza has spread to 13 of China's 31 regions. So far, no cases of human infections have been reported.