BIRD flu has confounded scientists by striking millions of chickens in several Asian countries within a very short period of time, with the worst hit areas in Thailand, China and Viet Nam and by Tuesday at least 13 people were reported to have died.
Following is a chronology of the most recent bird flu outbreak in Asia, which also suffered outbreaks in 1997 and 1998:
Dec 15, 2003 - South Korea confirms a highly contagious type of bird flu at a chicken farm near the capital, Seoul, and begins a mass cull of poultry when the virus rapidly spreads across the country.
Dec 31, 2003 - Taiwan reports its first case of the virus. It later destroys thousands of chickens suffering from a milder form of avian flu.
Jan 8, 2004 - Viet Nam confirms that bird flu has been found on many of its poultry farms.
Jan 11, 2004 - Japan says 6,000 chickens have died of avian influenza on a farm, and says it is the first time the disease had been confirmed in the country.
Jan 13, 2004 - The World Health Organization (WHO) confirms that the deaths of three people in Viet Nam are linked to bird flu.
Jan 23, 2004 - Cambodia confirms an outbreak of bird flu at a farm on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.
Jan 25, 2004 - Indonesia discovers an outbreak of avian influenza among chickens but has no evidence that the disease has spread to humans. Pakistan says 2 million chickens have died of a mild form of bird flu.
Jan 26, 2004 - Thailand confirms the death of a six-year-old boy, its first human death from bird flu.
Jan 27, 2004 - The bird flu virus kills ducks in southern parts of China, which begins a cull of 14,000 birds to halt the spread. The agriculture ministry in Laos confirms bird flu in the area around Vientiane.
Jan 30, 2004 - China says tests confirm the H5N1 virus in Hubei and Hunan provinces as well as the southern region of Guanxi.
Feb 1, 2004 - China's state television reports five more areas with suspected cases of bird flu in poultry. The WHO says two sisters have died in Viet Nam after contracting bird flu and they may have caught the virus from their brother, who had also died.
Feb 2, 2004 - An 18-year-old dies of bird flu in Ho Chi Minh City, bringing to nine the fatalities in Viet Nam. A Thai woman dies of bird flu, taking that country's toll from the virus to three. The total number of fatalities stands at 12.
(Agencies via Xinhua)
