KABUL, April 13 (Xinhua) -- While Afghanistan government is trying to contain the spread of bird flu, the killer H5N1 bird flu virus has been found in the third province of the country, spokesman of UN agency for food and agriculture organization (FAO) confirmed Thursday.

    "Samples of birds from Logar province tested in FAO laboratory in Italy have confirmed the virus of H5N1," Assadullah Azhari told Xinhua.

    Previous tests conducted in Italy also confirmed the spread of the virus, which transmitted to human, in Afghanistan's capital Kabul and eastern Nangarhar province last month.

    Since the detection of the virus in early March, the government imposed ban on poultry imports and began public awareness to check the spread of the disease in the war-ravaged country.

    "The process of examination in other provinces is going on if there were any cases," Azhari added.

    The virus of H5, which is little dangerous, has found positive in several sample's tests.

    To fight the epidemic, the Afghan Ministry for Agriculture and Livestock has appealed for 1.1 million U.S. dollars of which more than half million has already been disbursed.

    However, people in the vast rural areas are reluctant to bury their chickens saying the government should compensate otherwise they have little thing to eat. Enditem