The U.N.'s point man on bird flu warned in China on Friday that migrating fowl appear more susceptible to the disease, while countries in the region announced bans on poultry imports and discussed preparedness plans that could involve sealing off borders, AP reported. China's latest outbreak of the virulent H5N1 bird flu strain was reported this week in its northern Inner Mongolia region. Scientists say the country is a huge incubator for the disease because of its large poultry industry and vast territory, even though it has reported no human cases. «There has been a shift in the susceptibility of wild fowl to H5N1,» David Nabarro, chief U.N. coordinator for avian and human influenza, said in Beijing. «That's something that needs very careful attention if we're going to be ready for possible introduction of the bird flu virus in other locations through wild fowl.» Nabarro spoke during a bird flu fact-finding mission that also included stops in Thailand and Vietnam.
