Guangzhou quarantine officials found a deadly bird flu virus in eggs carried by air passengers from Vietnam, the first time China had found the H5N1 virus in an airport checkpoint since the end of 2003.

Checkpoint quarantine officials found the 45 eggs in two separate flights from Vietnam on April 28, the Guangzhou Daily reported Wednesday.

The eggs include chicken eggs, duck eggs and goose eggs. Tests by the national bird flu lab showed that the eggs carried the H5N1 virus. Quarantine officials disinfected the location where the eggs were found.

Vietnam has culled more than 40 million birds since a bird flu outbreak in the country at the end of 2003. Thirty-two people were killed by the virus.

China has been making great efforts to fend off the deadly virus.

(Shenzhen Daily May 19, 2005)