Guan Yi, a virologist from the University of Hong Kong, was reported in Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper as saying: "I don't know if they are brave enough to admit that they have the virus in every corner of the country.

"Quite honestly, some provinces have the virus and they still haven't announced any outbreak. I can show direct evidence, even though China is still trying very hard to block my research. The government doesn't do any surveillance studies, but they say there is no outbreak.

"Why has this virus been burning for 10 years like a fire?" Guan asked. "Ask the Chinese (Ministry of Agriculture). They should not avoid the question. It's obvious that it's out of control in China. It started off in Guangdong province and now the whole of China has the virus."

Guan cited the example of Yunnan province, which shares a border with Vietnam. Guan claims his data proves the existence of H5N1 outbreaks in Yunnan for a number of months, yet an outbreak was not officially reported by the Chinese authorities until mid-November.

Vietnam has been the country worst hit by avian flu and has been reporting outbreaks since January 2004, and it is unlikely that the virus would not have spread among poultry along the shared border.

A report in Hong Kong's Apple Daily newspaper in November said: "The outside world has no way of verifying the information. The Beijing authorities are imposing a tight blockade on news from the epidemic-affected areas. There are now numerous clues indicating that some people are covering up the epidemic situation or are too afraid to make the epidemic situation known to the public."

Qiao Songju, a Chinese farmer, was arrested in November. Detained for two weeks, he has been denied contact with his lawyer. His wife fears that Qiao was arrested for reporting an avian-influenza outbreak in Anhui province eight weeks ago.

Meanwhile:

-- The World Health Organization has announced it intends to investigate the case of China's fifth human avian-influenza infection.

Initial tests showed the woman was not infected with H5N1, although later tests, after her recovery, showed that she had in fact contracted the virus.

WHO spokeswoman Maria Cheng announced: "We have been informed of the case, which is the first human case reported in that area, so it is a concern. We may be requesting an international joint mission be sent to investigate control measures being taken.

"We would like more information on the sources of exposure and clarification on what kind of testing procedures are being used. Of course, we'd also like to get more information on the virus itself."

-- H5N1 has claimed its 70th human victim, as a 5-year-old Thai boy died from the virus Friday.

Although the boy was not thought to have had direct contact with poultry, "We believe that the boy contracted the virus from his surroundings because, although his family does not raise chickens, there are chickens raised in his neighborhood," said a spokesman for Thailand's Health Ministry Disease Control Department.

-- Roche is in talks with 15 pharmaceutical firms regarding the mass-production of Tamiflu, an anti-viral it is hoped will help in the fight against an avian-flu pandemic.

Mylan Laboratories confirmed they were in "advanced discussions" with Roche.

-- In a speech to the National Press Club, Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., commented on a Congressional Budget Office report on the financial impact of an avian-influenza pandemic on the United States.

Frist called the report, which projected costs of $625 billion, or 5 percent of GDP, "a grim prognosis."

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