The month-long bird flu outbreak in central China's Hunan Province has been eradicated and the quarantine is expected to be lifted soon, the local government said Friday.

No new bird flu cases have been found for the past 20 days around the Shebu Town of Xiangtan County, which was stricken by the deadly H5N1 strain last month.

The lives of local residents are in stable situation, according to Ou Daiming, deputy director with the provincial agriculture department.

Officials with the provincial headquarters of bird flu prevention and control and medical experts are carrying out final examinations in the areas once stricken by the epidemic before lifting the quarantine.

Since the outbreak of bird flu, over 500 heads of poultry in the province have died. Local authorities have imposed quarantine, ordered the slaughter of over 2,400 chickens and ducks and vaccinated 252,000 heads of poultry to prevent the spread of the virus.

An initial investigation shows that the virus was brought in by migratory birds.

(Xinhua News Agency November 12, 2005)