MONTEVIDEO, Nov. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Uruguay's livestock ministry has banned the import of pet or ornamental birds, unless they have the ministry's specific permission, as part of a broader plan to prevent the spread of bird flu, Uruguayan daily El Pais reported Monday.

    Domestic birds, eggs and poultry products from any country or region which has bird flu outbreaks are also banned, said the report.

    Meanwhile, under a contingency plan, authorities will take samples from the migratory bird population and aquifers in the next few months.

    The plan also includes measures to prevent captive birds from having contact with wild birds, Luis Eduardo Dias, an official from the ministry's animal health division, was quoted as saying.

    Poultry farms will be monitored and the government will work with private business people on the plan, the paper said.

    Humans, products and vehicles that come and go from the farms will be tracked so that the spread and origin of any outbreak of flu could swiftly be determined.

    The H5N1 bird flu strain has killed 67 people in Asia since late 2003. Health experts fear the virus could mutate into a form that spreads easily from human to human. So far, almost all human cases have been traced to contact with birds. Enditem