Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

China Reports 2 New Bird Flu Outbreaks

By VOA News
29 November 2005

China's Agriculture Ministry has reported two new outbreaks of bird flu among poultry in the northwestern Xinjiang region and the central province of Hunan.

The ministry said Tuesday, that tens of thousands of birds were culled in both infected areas. China has confirmed three cases of bird flu in humans.

Elsewhere, the Asian Development Bank has announced a $30 million grant for Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos to help contain the spread of bird flu and other diseases. The Manila-based bank says the grant will be funded in conjunction with the World Health Organization.

And in several Australian cities Tuesday, emergency workers began an exercise to test the government's response to a simulated outbreak of bird flu. About 1,000 people are expected to participate in the three-day drill.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.