China's Ministry of Agriculture said on Wednesday that a new case of H5N1 bird flu in poultry had been detected in the western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The case was identified after domestic poultry at a farm in Xinjiang's Hetian County died of unknown causes.  

The poultry were confirmed to have been carrying the virus on Wednesday after testing at the national bird flu laboratory. The MOA has sent expert teams to Hetian to contain any possible further outbreak.

An emergency operation has been launched and local veterinary departments have set up examination stations to disinfect people and vehicles going into and coming from the affected area.

(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2006)