The public should be more careful with live poultry to prevent contracting animal originated diseases, a Chinese medical expert said in Beijing yesterday.

In the recent two human deaths, the victims did not have a history of contacting dead poultry, but live poultry, said Zhong Nanshan, a SARS expert and president of the Chinese Medical Association.

"This means that the bird flu virus is not only transmitted by dead poultry," he said on the sidelines of a health conference in Beijing.

The H5N1 bird flu virus has infected 16 people in China, of whom 11 have died. The two latest human cases, a 32-year-old man in the southern city of Guangzhou and a 28-year-old woman in Shanghai, died earlier last month. Both had had contact with live poultry before they died, Zhong said.

He said the Chinese government is calling for a harmonious society. There should also be harmony between human beings and animals.

According to Zhong, about 45 infectious diseases came from animals in the past 40 or 50 years. During the SARS epidemic, coronavirus was found in civet cats, the sale of which was banned by the government.

"Now that the public is aware of the risk of eating wild animals, they intend not to eat," said Zhong. "This is a big change."

Another worry is that patients are delaying treatment. "High fever and pneumonia should be very aware of and patients with such symptoms should be admitted to hospital immediately and once diagnosed as bird flu, they should be free of charge," Zhong said.