China to vaccinate all 14bn poultry against bird flu
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-16 01:18

Bird flu has killed at least 64 people in Asia since 2003, mostly those who have come in contact with infected birds.

Health experts worry that the virus could mutate into a form that's easily transmitted between people and spark a global flu pandemic that could kill millions.

China "still faces some problems in bird flu prevention and control system, especially at the grassroots level," Jia was cited as saying by Xinhua.

"China has a lot of backyard-bred poultry," he said. "Some farmers pay no attention to the disease."

On Tuesday, China said it would ship 45 tons of bird flu vaccine worth $780,000 to Vietnam, the country hardest hit by the disease.

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