Southwest China's border province of Yunnan has banned entry of poultry and poultry products from neighboring Vietnam and Laos amid efforts to prevent the spread of avian influenza, local authorities said on Sunday.

The province has defined a 1,600-km long, 30-km wide border area in which to focus measures against the disease, according to the Provincial Department of Agriculture.

It has shut down 75 poultry markets in eight prefectures and cities in the border area, the department said, and installed 98 temporary checkpoints at key roads leading to neighboring countries.

The provincial departments of agriculture, health and forestry have jointly established 346 monitoring stations for bird flu, 151 special clinics for human fever, and 24 monitoring sites for migratory birds.

Enough doses of H5N1 bird flu vaccine for 10 million birds -- 5,000 liters -- have been stockpiled in the province.

The provincial capital Kunming has also closed all bird markets, as has Guiyang, capital of neighboring Guizhou Province.

Local authorities there said residents who raise birds have been told to carry out precautionary measures such as regular disinfection of cages, and required to get their birds vaccinated at local health departments.

Beijing suspended poultry trading in all its 168 markets as of November 7 and Shanghai shut down all bird markets from November 30.

China has reported 30 outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu among birds in 11 provinces and autonomous regions this year, 26 of which have been confirmed since October 19.

Three human infections have been confirmed as having taken place in the last two months, two of which were deadly, along with a fourth likely but unverifiable case that was also fatal. All involved are thought to have been infected from birds.

(Xinhua News Agency December 5, 2005)