Watch out for migratory birds to the north

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, February 16, 2004

Watch out for migratory birds to the north

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The coming spring will also likely bring the fear of widespread avian influenza across north China.

Beginning next month, migratory birds will begin flocking to the north, possibly carrying with them the virus that has swept across Asia, according to Monday's China Daily.

Officials and experts are working on ways to reduce the possible spread of the H5N1 virus by the wild birds.

"Although there is not enough evidence to confirm that the migratory birds spread the deadly virus in China, they have been highly suspected by scientists," said Lei Fumin, a bird researcherat the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Science.

Wild migratory birds are also regarded as a possible source of the H5N1 bird flu.

Lei and his institute have kicked off a research project to track the source of bird flu in China. The project has been approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Unlike the arduous process of tracking the source of the SARS virus, Lei expects scientists will soon find the source of the bird flu, maybe in one week, Lei noted.

Determining the source of the virus will contribute greatly to preventing and controlling the epidemic, said Lei.

Meanwhile, Lei's project will also figure out how to effectively prevent migratory birds from spreading the virus as they fly north.

Still, efforts are being made both at the beginning and end of the birds' annual migration to prevent the spread of the virus as much as possible.

Experts are also working to control any possible spread in areas where the birds are likely to touch down.

The many measures taken include strict prohibitions of contact between poultry or people and wild birds in Poyang Lake State Natural Reserve, east China's Jiangxi Province.

People's activities are strictly limited in the reserve to ensure the more than 300,000 birds, including swans, that will pass through there will be free of the virus before they take off again in early March.

And in the bird-flu-virus-free Beijing, an important region where the migratory birds will pass and station, strict surveillance has been set up by the local government in spots where birds usually reach.

Among the more than 350 kinds of birds that can be found in Beijing, more than 250 are migratory.

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