China's Ministry of Agriculture issued an emergency order for local governments to tighten controls over poultry stocks to prevent bird flu contamination by migratory birds, state press reported.

Epidemic prevention workers prepare to put killed poultry on trucks in Hetian of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Nov. 15, 2005. Highly pathogenic bird flu epidemic was reported in Hetian City of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture said on Thursday. [Xinhua]

The order calls for strict supervision of areas below flight paths of migratory birds, lakes and other sites with a record of bird flu infection, Xinhua news agency said.

Farmers living in these areas have been advised to keep their poultry in coops to avoid contact with the migratory birds.

The ministry also ordered immediate reporting of any dead poultry or wild birds to county-level animal epidemic prevention agencies, and suspected cases must be reported to the state-level bird flu laboratories.

A new case of H5N1 bird flu was discovered in Xinjiang's Hotan County last Wednesday, but it had been contained by Friday, a source with the Ministry of Agriculture was quoted as saying.

Experts and veterinarians had disinfected the area and more than 17,100 poultry birds were culled to prevent further contamination. No new suspected cases had been discovered near the infected area, said the ministry in the report.

Hotan County is on a flight path for migratory birds between East Africa and West Asia, said the ministry source.

More than 80 cases of the virus have been reported in China since February 2004, affecting 24 provinces, it added.