Agence France Presse

Beijing, May 22:

China has ordered emergency measures to stop the spread of bird flu after discovering some migratory birds had died from the H5-N1 virus, state media said today. The Ministry of Agriculture announced yesterday that the deaths of migratory birds found in the western province of Qinghai were caused by bird flu, marking the first time the virus has been found in China since last year. The ministry has asked local governments to prohibit people from entering the habitats of migratory birds and prevent contact between migratory birds and poultry, the Xinhua news agency said. Veterinary institutions across China were also asked to determine the species and territory of migratory birds in their regions and to take precautionary measures. The ministry urged early reporting if more cases of the disease are detected. The area in Qinghai province hit by the latest case has been quarantined, according to the ministry. The region where the dead birds were found is on the edges of Lake Qinghai, where the presence of migratory birds is a tourist attraction. The H5-N1 strain of bird flu has been discovered in eight countries since late 2003, including Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. The disease has claimed the lives of at least 53 people including 36 Vietnamese, 12 Thais and one Cambodian.