WHO warns of more China bird flu outbreaks
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-11-17 22:24

China gave blanket coverage to its first human cases of bird flu on Thursday. Premier Wen Jiabao visited a Beijing medical firm on Thursday which produced a vaccine against SARS and has applied to conduct human tests of its own new bird flu vaccine.

"In 2003, we defeated SARS. That will inspire us to victory over bird flu," Xinhua news agency quoted Wen as saying.

Bekedam said he found China's response to the spreading poultry outbreaks "very encouraging."

But he added that, with 14 billion domestic poultry -- 70 percent kept in backyards -- the country faced particular difficulties in containing the disease.  

"Even when the government is very willing to fight the avian influenza, at times the information they they're getting about the poultry, especially in the backyard, might be a bit late."

China has tried to contain about a dozen outbreaks of H5N1 in poultry since last month, culling millions of birds and ordering mass vaccinations of fowl.