The country should be able to prevent the spread of bird flu, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said Thursday.

A large-scale outbreak of avian flu won't take place in the near future, despite some areas being very vulnerable, the MOA said in a statement.

The ministry has tightened measures after the deadly H5N1 virus killed a 19-year-old woman in Beijing on Monday.

Bird flu spreads faster during winter because that's when most of the migratory birds are on the move, the MOA said.

Another risk factor is frequent bird flu outbreaks in neighboring countries such as Vietnam and India. More than 22,000 chickens and ducks were culled in India's West Bengal province in December after the virus was detected in some farms.

Among the other factors posing a threat are brisk sales of poultry before Spring Festival and the difficulty in implementing prevention measures on loosely managed household farms.

(Xinhua News Agency January 9, 2009)