Taiwan's agricultural authority yesterday reported they had discovered H7N3 bird flu virus in the excrement of migratory birds, China News Service said today.

The excrement samples were collected from a swamp in Tainan City where migratory birds gather to spend winter, but no migratory bird has been found dead, according to the report.

Warning signs are required to be set up to remind people not to get close to the site. The authority will also make sample tests in the poultry farms within 3-kilometers of the swamp.

Taiwan reported this year's first outbreak of bird flu on October 15.

H7N3 is one of the bird flu viruses that can infect people, but it is considered less dangerous than H5N1, which causes the highest death rate.

(Shanghai Daily November 15, 2005)