So far, all people having close contact with the new bird flu case confirmed Tuesday in east China's Anhui Province showed no abnormal symptoms, said sources with the Department of Health of Anhui Province on Thursday.

All 37 people who had contact with the poultry that died of the deadly epidemic or who raised poultry at the farm reporting the bird flu case in Juchao District, Chaohu city of Anhui province have been registered and put under close medical observation, said an official with the provincial Department of Health.

"Their temperature will be taken and their health state will be reported to the provincial disease control center everyday, all of which have been put under duty of specially appointed people," said the official.

A supervision and daily report system have been established on patients having influenza symptoms, having unidentified fever or dying of unidentified reasons nearby the infected spot.

Furthermore, efforts have been taken to strengthen supervision of drinking water and food of local residents and instruction for environmental and individual sanitation nearby the infected spot.

Since the poultry death report confirmed to be caused by H5N1, a highly pathogenic bird flu virus, was reported on Tuesday, a series of counter measures have been taken by the local government to fight against the highly infectious disease.

In Chaohu City, where the case was reported, all poultry within three kilometers of the infected spot have been culled, disinfected and buried deeply.

Under the deployment of the provincial headquarters in charge of bird flu control and prevention, 175,000 milliliters of bacterin have been prepared for compulsory immunization of to all poultry three to eight kilometers of the infected spot.

Three quarantine stations were established at the entrance to the quarantined area. And poultry trade and killing were forbidden at all 23 markets of agricultural products and seven roadside markets within ten kilometers of the infected spot.

In Hefei, capital of Anhui Province, 157 monitoring spots for the highly infectious disease have exerted an all-around monitoring of the infection situation. All important poultry farms should be immunized under the close supervision of the local government.

In Chuzhou, a city neighboring Chaohu City, checkpoints have been set up at the entrances of four major roads to the city. The municipal government has organized epidemic inspection of all major poultry markets and inspection of quarantine work at big poultry farms of the city.

Since the emergency circular on bird flu prevention and control was issued by the provincial government on Tuesday night, a series of standard and comprehensive prevention and control measures across Anhui Province, with all chickens in officially registered

poultry farms being immunized and strict quarantine measures being taken in poultry production, transportation and purchase to prevent the further spread of the deadly disease, said sources with the provincial headquarters for bird flu prevention and control.

Foreign countries need not worry about spread of China's new bird flu case

Foreign countries do not need to worry that China's new bird flu case may spread, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue Thursday.

Zhang made the remark at a regular press conference when asked whether foreign countries should worry that the new bird flu case may go out of control.

On July 6, a chicken death was confirmed to be caused by H5N1, a highly pathogenic bird flu virus, at a poultry farm of the Juchao district, in Chaohu city of east China's Anhui province. It was the first case after an earlier outbreak between January and March 2004.

The strong measures that the Chinese government has taken, coupled with the experience gained in the last outbreak, could guarantee that the new case will not go out of control, Zhang said.

According to the spokeswoman, China's health and other departments have adopted immediate, epidemic control measures over nationwide fowl farms and poultry-raising rural areas to prevent and control any possible spread.