A Ministry of Health spokesman said Monday that China hadn’t seen any new cases of animal or human bird flu infections since the onset of winter.

 

However, spokesman Mao Qun'an warned medical institutions not to relax strict monitoring of influenza and undefined respiratory diseases. "We should further improve our reporting of deaths from unknown causes," he said.

 

About 47,000 birds died in ten outbreaks of bird flu in seven provinces in the Chinese mainland this year. Another 2.94 million birds were culled, said the Ministry of Agriculture in November. The cases of human infection from bird flu numbered 13 this year. This is six more than 2005. ?

 

According to China's lunar calendar November 7 marks the official start of winter.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2006)