The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture said Sunday that five more areas in China reported suspected bird flu cases.  

These areas are Yongkang City in east China's Zhejiang Province, Yichang City in central China's Hubei Province, Chenggong County in southwest China's Yunnan Province, Pingyu County in central China's Henan Province, and the No.12 Farming Division of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Local governments have started slaughtering birds and taken compulsory quarantine measures in those areas, according to a press release from the ministry.

The epidemic situation is under control and no human infection was found in those areas, the ministry added.

The ministry has sent task forces to the five areas to help local governments curb the spread of bird flu, and the related department of the Chinese government has filed a report to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization.

So far, confirmed bird flu cases were found in Long'an County of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, south China, and Wugang City of Hunan Province and Wuxue City of Hubei Province, central China. East China's Shanghai City and Anhui Province and south China's Guangdong Province reported suspected cases.

China's National Bird Flu Reference Laboratory confirmed on Jan.27 the country's first bird flu outbreak in Long'an County of Guangxi.

(Xinhua News Agency February 2, 2004)