BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Agriculture confirmed Friday that 308 migratory birds have died since April 23 when a migratory bird flu case was reported in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

    Yushu County of Qinghai Province reported an outbreak of bird flu among migratory birds on April 23. The Ministry of Agriculture held special meetings to come up with effective control measures.

    The local veterinary department has recently collected 2,891 samples from the migratory birds in Qinghai, all of which tested negative for the bird flu virus, said the ministry.

    A reporting network has been launched in 39 counties of Qinghai Province. More than 4,800 observers in 4,133 villages are to immediately report to veterinary stations if any suspicious illness in birds is discovered.

    This spring Qinghai quarantined 2.15 million domestic fowl and there have been no reports of any contracting the virus. Enditem