China-Bird Flu sweeps the region.

SOUTH EAST ASIA.

BIRD FLU SWEEPS THE REGION.

There are reports of 370,000 birds being culled in China, in the province of Jiangsu, after the discovery of bird flu.

The are more reports from India, as an epidemic sweeps the country. There have been 9,000 birds slaughtered in West Bengal on Wednesday.

Hong Kong has it own problems, with 80,000 birds slaughtered last weekend and markets closed.

In Cambodia another cull is under way, after the World Health Organization, confirmed that the death of a young man was caused by the virus.

Taiwan are also on high alert, after the suspicious death of a poultry farmer in Luzhu.

Egyptian authorities are investigating a case, where a young girl died from suspected avian flu.

The World Health Organization said, "Asian countries must not let their guard down, because the virus has not yet mutated into a form that could spread easily among humans, does not mean that the fight against bird flu is less of a priority".

Jagbi Singh, president of the Poultry Federation of India, said on Thursday "bird flu has hit the eastern states of Assam and West Bengal and we could see our poultry and egg exports drop, by up to as much as 50%"

India has only just re-gained its bird flu free status again, after an outbreak in January this year.