China confirms bird flu in southern province; announces two more suspected cases

BEIJING (AP): China on Wednesday confirmed an outbreak of bird flu in a southern province and announced two more suspected cases.

A case in Yunnan province was confirmed by the Ministry of Agriculture, while another was under investigation, state television reported on its evening newscast.

The other suspected case was found in the northwestern province of Gansu, China Central Television said.

It did not say what kind of birds were infected or give any other details.

So far, no human cases have been reported in China, where 12 of 31 regions are investigating outbreaks of avian influenza. In Asia, the death toll in humans has exceeded a dozen.