The Liaoning Provincial Control Office of Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu on Saturday ruled out six suspected highly pathogenic bird flu outbreaks in this northeast China's province.

Zhou Liyuan, spokesman for the office, told a press conference that the judgment was concluded as the quarantine tests conducted by the provincial animal epidemic prevention station lab turned out negative of highly pathogenic avian flu virus.

The office has erased Nanwa Village in Xinmin City of Shenyang, Jintun Village of Jinzhou City, Bajiazi Village of Jinzhou, Guojia Village of Jinzhou, the Beizhen Street of Beining City in Jinzhou and Yujiatun Village of Heishan County from the bird flu blacklist.

In bird flu-hit Heishan County, no new cases have been reported for recent two days. In bird flu-hit Beining City, no new cases have been reported for recent four days. In Nanzhan New District of Jinzhou, no new cases have been reported since Nov. 6. In New Mongolia Autonomous County of Fuxin City, no new cases have been reported since Nov. 8, as listed by the spokesman.

He said that the provincial government has allocated 15.5 million yuan (US$1.9 million) to compensate the farmers for their loss of poultry culling. A total of 265.8 million yuan (US$33 million) have been put in the epidemic prevention in the province.

Zhang Wenyue, governor of Liaoning Province, has pledged the government would compensate farmers for every poultry culled for the epidemic prevention.

According to the province's compensation standard, farmers are compensated with 10 yuan (US$1.25) for each of their chickens and duck slaughtered in quarantine, 15 yuan (US$1.87) for a goose and 5 yuan (US$0.65) for every young fowl.

The spokesman said that hospitals in bird flu-hit areas in Liaoning have been ordered to accept flu patients regardless of medical charges, which will be later drawn from the provincial finance.

(Xinhua News Agency November 13, 2005)