Chinese researchers warn that the chances of stamping out the bird flu virus altogether are slim, crienglish.com said in a report Thursday.

In a study of the genetic ancestry of the so-called H5N1 virus, researchers say the risk can only be reduced and delayed by present measures.

They warn that the proximity of farm fowl to humans continues to pose a threat.

That proximity can harbor both avian and human viruses and act as a vessel to mix them.

Researchers are concerned it may create a virus that would be lethal and transmissible among humans.

The study by Chinese researchers from the University of Hong Kong and Shantou University Medical School is about the genetic identity of the so-called Z genotype, or strain of the H5N1 virus.

The study, published on Thursday in the British weekly science journal Nature, coincides with the outbreak of a new case of bird flu in China's Anhui Province as well as confirmed and suspected cases in Vietnam and Thailand.

(CRI July 8, 2004)