More than 3 million doses of vaccine against the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus were dispatched to northwest China's Qinghai Province on Saturday immediately after the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) confirmed the deaths of migratory birds from the disease.

The number of doses matches the province's poultry population, said Dang Chenyan from the animal diseases office, which has launched a compulsory vaccination campaign across the province under the instruction of the MOA.

All domesticated birds in the area of Niannaisuoma Village, Gangcha County, where the dead birds were found, were prioritized for vaccination on Saturday, as were poultry raised near migratory bird routes.

All vaccinations in the province are due to be completed over the coming two days.

As an additional preventive measure, the bird island scenic spot in Qinghai Lake, the largest saltwater lake in China, has closed to visitors and two inspection and quarantine stations established to prevent entry.

The 0.27-square-kilometer island is home to more than 100,000 birds including rare species such as swan, black-necked cranes and brown-headed gull, and will reopen after the bird flu is under control, sources said.

(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2005)