China culled 22,571,200 fowls in 2005 to curb bird flu, said China's Agriculture Minister Du Qinglin, who also warned the public against a possible massive outbreak of this lethal epidemic.

Last year about 163,100 fowls were found to have infected the H5N1 virus, 154,600 of which died of the pandemic, said the minister when briefing the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, here on Saturday.

Last year, China reported 31 highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in poultry and one in migratory birds.

"The outbreaks hit 13 provinces and 32 counties, but all of them were effectively controlled without any large-scale virus spreading," Du said.

"In view of the current situation, the possibility of a massive bird flu outbreak could not be ruled out," Du warned.

He said all agricultural departments would be on high alert, stick to consistent epidemic monitoring, diagnosing and reporting, and strengthen poultry vaccinating and virus testing.

Chinese farmers raised about 15 billion poultry in 2005, or 21 percent of the world's total, Du said, adding that raising poultry is one of the main income sources for the farmers.

Source: Xinhua