(AFP/Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-11-17 15:58

The World Health Organization said Thursday it does not expect a large number of people to be infected with bird flu in China, one day after the government reported the country's first two human cases.

But the WHO said China faces special challenges in fighting the spread of bird flu despite the "impressive" government commitment.

Villagers watch as health workers spray disinfectant in Heishan County of Northeast China's Liaoning Province yesterday. The province has reported four bird flu outbreaks since last month, including one in Heishan. [Reuters]

The fact China has reported human cases does not increase the risk of the disease becoming a pandemic but there could be more human cases than authorities know about, Henk Bekedam, the head of WHO's office in China, told a news conference.

"That's always of course possible...as long as there are poultry outbreaks, people will be exposed to the virus. You can expect that people might get infected," Bekedam said.

"On the other hand, I would like to stress...the current virus is not easily transmittable to humans. We don't expect a large number of cases."

He said the WHO was confident with the government's "strong" response and political commitment, especially a visit by Premier Wen Jiabao to an outbreak area recently.

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