Central China's Hunan Province has been closely monitoring the habitats and routes of migratory birds to guard against bird flu, according to the Hunan Provincial Forestry Department.

Migrating birds might bring the virus from bird flu-hit areas to other areas, said Li Dingyi, deputy-director of the Department. The province reported a bird flu epidemic in Xiangtan County last month.

The State Forestry Administration has enlisted 118 sites to collect health information on the migrating birds. Four of the sites are in Hunan Province.

Besides the four surveillance sites, the province has also designated about ten sites, either the migrating birds' habitats or migrating routes, to collect information on bird flu.

East Dongting Lake Natural Reserve, a shelter for 305 species of birds, is one of the four national surveillance sites in the province. An important wetland for birds in China, the lake usually accommodates more than 200,000 birds in the winter.

Some experts believe the migratory birds are closely related with the spread of the highly pathogenic bird flu epidemic.

The province has banned hunting, transporting or processing wild birds. Emergency measures have been taken to reduce contact between humans and birds at reserves, said Gui Xiaojie, an official with the Department.

(Xinhua News Agency November 10, 2005)