The Ministry of Agriculture yesterday confirmed more bird flu outbreaks in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Hubei Province.

It noted in a statement that a total of 176 chickens, ducks and geese died on Tuesday in Morin Dawa County in Inner Mongolia before they were confirmed by a state lab as H5N1 subtype highly pathogenic bird-flu cases.

Separately, the same kind of bird flu killed 3,500 geese on Wednesday at a development zone in Shishou City of Hubei Province.

The Ministry of Agriculture has sent a team of experts to help contain the disease, and local veterinary departments have culled all poultry near the affected areas, the statement said.

China will strengthen flu prevention and control in vast rural regions, a senior health official said yesterday.

The Ministry of Health is going to set up more flu surveillance stations in rural areas, especially at village level, to ensure immediate detection and reporting of flu outbreaks, said Chen Xianyi, head of the ministry's contingency office.

In addition, the ministry will enhance training of township medical staff, to make sure they inform experts once an outbreak is found, he said.

The ministry also vowed to strengthen prevention and control efforts to prevent the bird flu from spreading to humans, said the official, noting there is no proof of human-to-human transmission based on medical observations.

Provincial governments should report any major outbreaks of disease amongst animals to the State Council, China's highest governing body, according to a new State Council regulation.

The regulation, which was released yesterday, also requires county or city governments to report such cases to provincial authorities within two hours.

The regulation was issued to response to the growing number of bird-flu cases reported in China.

The regulation is aimed at "controlling and stamping out major animal epidemic cases as soon as possible, ensuring the safety of the breeding industry, protecting people's health and lives and safeguarding the normal social order," the State Council said in a statement.

The regulation includes avian flu and other animal diseases with a high incidence or fatality rate, it noted.

The regulation said that local government officials who neglect their duties will be removed from their official posts and could face criminal charges.

Those who take the chance to embezzle emergency funds or drive up prices and cheat consumers will also be punished, the State Council warned.