Four birds found dead in Lusaka Wednesday has triggered new fear of possible bird flu outbreak, Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) reported Thursday.

It quoted a witness as saying that he has informed the case to the office concerned and asked them to take the four dead birds.

More than 40 wild birds were found dead the other day in Livingstone near the famous Victoria Falls shared by Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The Zambian government is looking into the cases of bird death in the southern tourist capital for fear of an outbreak of avian flu, which has already hit eight African countries, said a senior health official Tuesday.

"We are investigating the matter but so far there has been no confirmation of an outbreak," Health Ministry permanent secretary Simon Miti said.

Health authorities in the region have appealed to local people who ate the dead wild birds to report to health center for medical examinations.

But the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for calm, saying laboratory tests are being conducted to determine the cause of the deaths.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is providing funds for laboratory tests at the Central Veterinary Institute in Lusaka. FAO country representative Dong Qingsong said here Wednesday results from the institute will be sent to South Africa for further tests.

Source: Xinhua