Changchun City, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province, issued a regulation Wednesday forbidding poultry-raising in urban areas as a precaution against bird flu, said an official with the provincial government Wednesday.

The regulation will become effective on Wednesday, said Bi Lianning, a staff member of the municipal headquarters for high infectious bird flu disease prevention.

Bi said all poultry should be injected with anti-bird flu vaccine in suburban areas.

Changchun Monday closed off all its poultry markets to stem the disease and has decided to allocate five million yuan (about US$620,000) for emergency treatment.

The municipal government has taken a series of measures to guard against and prevent a H5N1 outbreak. Animal inspections and quarantines have been carried out at Longjia Airport and Changchun Railway Station, and checkpoints have been set up at the entrances of the city highways and expressways.

(Xinhua News Agency November 10, 2005)