Yesterday, the Ministry of Agriculture confirmed two more H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks in poultry in the country's northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the central province of Hunan.

The ministry said 288 poultry died on November 22 in Shanshan County of Xinjiang. On Friday, the regional veterinary department decided it could have been caused by the H5N1 strain of bird flu, which was confirmed by the National Reference Laboratory yesterday.

By Monday night, Xinjiang's authorities had culled 52,162 poultry within three kilometers of the affected area.

The laboratory also confirmed an outbreak that killed 390 chickens and 12 ducks in Laobutou Village, Qilidian Town of Lingling District in Hunan's prefecture of Yongzhou on November 18.

By yesterday evening, 75,428 poultry had been culled in Lingling.

The ministry said it and local governments are dealing with the two outbreaks in accordance with emergency plans. It said it has also sent experts to the affected areas to oversee quarantine work and disease control efforts.

They are the 28th and 29th outbreaks to be confirmed amongst birds in China this year, 25 of which have been reported since October 19.

(Xinhua News Agency November 29, 2005)