The State Forestry Bureau has taken a series of measures to prevent bird flu from spreading through migratory birds, Cao qingyao, spokesman for the bureau, made the announcement in Beijing on Monday.

It's now the season for birds to migrate, which may cause the spreading and cross infection of bird flu, said Cao.

"The State Forestry Bureau is paying intensive attention to this problem," he said.

China's northwest Qinghai Province reported finding bird flu at the beginning of May 2005, when more than 6,000 migratory birds died of the disease, he said.

"At that time, the bureau made joint efforts with local departments to prevent the virus from spreading to a larger range," he said.

The September-November period is again the right season for migratory birds to move, but up to now, no bird flu cases have been reported, he said.

The State Forestry Bureau started to establish 118 monitoring centers for wild animal epidemics on April 1, 2005, and now has received over 480 pieces of relevant information from local departments, he said.

Once the abnormal death of wild animals is found, the monitoring center will collect samples for further examination and report the case to superior departments immediately, he said.

The State Forestry Bureau recently sent three panels to China's major provinces which have the most migratory birds for on-spot research and inspection, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency October 26, 2005)