The Ministry of Agriculture reported on Thursday two new outbreaks of bird flu, one in Xinjiang in the far northwest and the other in the central province of Hubei.

The latest reports bring to 13 the number of outbreaks, across six provinces and regions, confirmed in China over the past month.

The fresh outbreaks followed confirmation on Wednesday night of the nation's first known human cases of bird flu.

The Health Ministry said the virus had killed one woman, likely claimed the life of another girl and infected one boy who has since recovered.

The ministry said a 24-year-old female poultry worker from the eastern province of Anhui, Zhou Maoya, died of bird flu on November 10 after falling ill on November 1.

A 12-year-old girl, He Yin, from an infected area in neighbouring Hunan province who died on October 17 was also "suspected" to have been a victim of H5N1, the ministry said.

The ministry said that, according to World Health Organisationguidelines, He's case could not be definitively confirmed as bird flu because reliable laboratory samples were not available.

However the ministry said He's brother, He Junyao, nine, was infected with bird flu. The boy has since recovered and was discharged from hospital last week.

Health authorities said the siblings fell ill shortly after eating a chicken that had died suddenly.

The WHO, which sent an investigation team to the family's village, confirmed the findings and said more human cases were likely in China, although not a huge number.

"That's always of course possible...as long as there are poultry outbreaks, people will be exposed to the virus. You can expect that people might get infected," WHO's China head, Henk Bekedam, told reporters in Beijing.

"On the other hand, I would like to stress...the current virus is not easily transmittable to humans. We don't expect a large number of cases."

Other cases of H5N1 crossing from birds into humans in China were also being investigated on Thursday.

In northeastern Liaoning province, a poultry farmer who had contracted pneumonia after coming into contact with dead chickens was being investigated despite initially testing negative for the virus and making a recovery.

Confirmation of human infections and fatalities in the world's most populous nation has raised the stakes for Chinese and global health authorities in battling the virus.

More than 60 people have already died of the H5N1 strain in Southeast Asia since 2003, with most of the deaths in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.

Although human-to-human transmission has not yet been proved, scientists warn that continued contact between infected birds and humans might result in the virus mutating into a form that could be easily passed on between people.

China has the world's biggest poultry industry, with billion of chickens existing in cramped conditions and close to humans, especially in rural areas.

Adding to the danger is that three of the world's major bird migratory routes pass through China. Migratory birds are regarded as the main carriers of the virus around the world.

Japan expressed concern on Thursday at the developments in its Asian neighbour.

"I'm very worried that it may be a sign of bird flu spreading further," Chief Cabinet Secretary and government spokesman Shinzo Abe said.

The government has undertaken massive efforts to control bird flu and on Tuesday announced the nation's entire poultry stock of 14 billion fowl would be vaccinated. Tens of millions of others have already been culled.

In Liaoning, the scene of four of the outbreaks, farmers have also been banned from raising their chickens outdoors in an attempt to stop them coming into contact with migratory birds.

In the capital Beijing, all live poultry and bird markets were shut down early this month.

Bekedam praised the Chinese government's containment measures as "almost textbook".

In an effort to reassure the nation, Premier Wen Jiabao said China would defeat the bird flu just as it overcame the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome crisis more than two years ago.

China is stepping up efforts in studying the efficiency of traditional Chinese medicine to help prevent or control human cases of bird flu, Xinhua news agency said.

The State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine has launched a working group to supervise and coordinate the study, according to the agency.

related report
China Denies Bird Flu Cover Up Beijing (UPI) Nov 17 -- The Chinese government Thursday denied any cover up on avian influenza cases despite initial confusion in reporting the number of cases in the country.

A brief statement released by the Ministry of Health Wednesday said there were three cases of human infection with avian influenza. Several hours later, officials revised the statement as two confirmed and one suspected case of H5N1 bird flu.

"The two confirmed cases involve a nine-year-old boy in Xiangtan county of Hunan province, central China, and a 24-year-old woman farmer in Zongyang county of Anhui province in the east," according to state-run media.

The boy presented fever and pneumonia-like symptoms beginning Oct. 10 amid an H5N1 outbreak in his village. Lab tests on his blood serum samples indicated high H5 antibodies, indicative of infection from the H5N1 bird flu virus. He recovered and was discharged from hospital on Nov. 12. His 12-year-old sister had similar symptoms and died Oct. 17. Her body was cremated before comprehensive tests could be run to confirm or deny death was caused by avian influenza.

The female poultry worker in Anhui developed fever and pneumonia-like symptoms on Nov. 1 and died on Nov. 10, the health ministry said. Xinhua reported she had handled sick and dead chickens and ducks at her home up to two weeks before she fell ill.

Experts from the World Health Organization say more tests need to be done before confirmation can be made on the suspected case involving a schoolteacher in Xiangtan.

The initial confusion on numbers and types of cases comes at a time when fear of the disease dominates talk radio and a growing number of rumors and unconfirmed reports from internet sources claim that the disease is more widespread than Chinese government officials say.

One Chinese Web site, Boxun.com, claims more than 300 people have died from bird flu since 2004, thousands have been quarantined and there have been cases of human to human transmission of the virus. United Press International was unsuccessful in attempts to get the Ministry of Health to comment on such allegations.

Observers note some similarities to the period three years ago when severe acute respiratory syndrome first struck in China: Rumors running rampant, questionable official statistics, and officials taking a reactive rather than proactive approach to dissemination of public information.

At a news briefing Thursday Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Liu Jianchao provided an update on avian influenza in China, including clarification of the revised statistics as well as comment on reports that number of deaths topped 300.

"The Ministry of Health released the news formally that there are two cases of human infection of H5N1. On this particular issue we should have a scientific view of bird flu," Liu said. "The Chinese government has taken a responsible attitude to release clear information," he added.

Liu said "With respect to the 300 cases, I think it is baseless, groundless and the WHO would not agree with the authenticity of that kind of information. All the rumors are ignorant and the WHO made it clear that there is no case indicating human to human transmission of avian influenza."

Roy Wadia from the WHO office in Beijing told UPI that when it receives information of the type released by Boxun.com, "We pass reports to authorities with the health ministry for them to follow-up."

"We work together with the Ministry of Health; it is not our place to conduct independent investigations," Wadia added.

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