February 19, 2004

China Reports New Bird Flu Outbreaks

China confirmed new cases of bird flu in poultry on Thursday, with 16 of the nation's 31 regions now battling the highly contagious avian disease.

The Ministry of Agriculture said previously suspected cases of bird flu were confirmed in the provinces of Hubei and Hunan in central China and Jilin in the northeast, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

China also reported new suspected cases in the western province of Gansu, which already has confirmed outbreaks.

The government hasn't reported any instances of bird flu jumping to humans. But the World Health Organization has said it fears China may have human cases it doesn't know about, given the vast area affected.