An official with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that a nationwide network for the testing of bird flu virus has been established.

Shu Yuelong, vice director of virus control and prevention with the CDC, said the network connects 63 labs in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.

"Every lab has the ability to test and identify virus of avian influenza and some in provincial disease control centers are capable of analyzing the virus," Shu said.

He said China will add another 21 new labs to the network in 2009.

The Ministry of Health reported a human bird flu case on Jan. 7, in which a 19-year-old female in Beijing was killed by the virus.

China reported its first human infection case with the H5N1 avian influenza virus in 2005. So far 30 cases have been confirmed and 20 fatal.

(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2009)