BEIJING, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Medical experts said it's of great significance to introduce traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) into the prevention and treatment of human bird flu, especially in the early stage of the disease.

    The experts from Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Japan and the Republic of Korea, who attended a seminar held by China's Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization and China Association of Chinese Medicine, have agreed that China should develop its own method of preventing and treating human infections of the avian influenza through combining modern medicine with the TCM theory.

    Experts said that the TCM has been playing an important role in controlling of other infectious diseases, including AIDS and malaria. Therefore, it shares equal responsibility with the modern medicine in human bird flu prevention and treatment.

    The cases of human infection with bird flu in China numbered 13 in 2006, which was seven in 2005.

    China currently has about 3,000 traditional medical hospitals that dispense medical treatment to nearly 234 million people each year.

    Related:

    China develops new human bird flu vaccine virus

    BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- A new recombinant H5N1 vaccine virus has been developed in China and is available for researchers and companies that want to develop or produce the H5N1 vaccine for human use, an official with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

    Shu Yuelong, senior official with Chinese CDC, said the new vaccine virus was developed by the Chinese CDC and U.S. CDC from the cases of human infections of the deadly virus in southern China.

    Dead bird tested positive for H5N1 virus in Hong Kong

    HONG KONG, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- The dead body of a scaly-breasted Munia found last week in the street of Hong Kong was confirmed to be H5N1 positive after a series of laboratory tests, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) of Hong Kong said Saturday.

    It is the first case of H5N1 avian influenza strain ever reported in Hong Kong this winter.