# 1339
With bird flu outbreaks occurring in Asia, the Mid-East, and Europe at an increasing rate the past few months, it is no wonder that the Chinese are warning of possible outbreaks ahead.
Dec 11, 2007
China warns of winter bird flu outbreaks
BEIJING - CHINA has warned of a 'very high' possibility of outbreaks of bird flu over winter and spring as the country hunts for the causal link between a son and a father struck by the virus, state media said.
A 24-year-old man surnamed Lu from eastern Jiangsu province died last week of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in the first case in China since June.
Late last week, his 52-year-old father was also diagnosed with the disease, raising questions about how the man was infected.
China, with the world's biggest poultry population and millions of backyard birds, is seen as crucial in the fight against bird flu.
China's agriculture ministry was 'not optimistic' about winter and spring, when the virus is at its most contagious, the China Daily on Tuesday quoted Mr Yin Chengjie, a vice-minister of agriculture, as saying.
Methods of poultry breeding, slaughter, delivery and processing still needed 'radical changes', and prevention measures were not fully carried out in some regions, Mr Yin said.
He called on local authorities to step up immunisation efforts and testing of birds at border areas and local wetlands.
