Suspected outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu were reported in seven new Chinese regions, said sources with the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) Wednesday in Beijing.

The regions probably tainted by the bird flu virus include Honghu City, Gong'an County, Songzi City and Yangxin County in central China's Hubei Province, Heshan District of Yiyang City and Shaodong County in central China's Hunan Province and Jiangcheng District of Yangjiang City in south China's Guangdong Province.

Jia Youling, MOA general director of stock breeding, said the ministry was informed of the outbreaks Wednesday.

The local governments of those areas took prompt quarantine measures and culled poultry in the affected regions, bringing the epidemic under control, according to the ministry.

No human infections have been found so far.

(Xinhua News Agency February 11, 2004)