China and Vietnam have each confirmed new bird flu outbreaks which killed thousands of birds, while officials in both countries warned more infections are likely to occur.

Vietnam will host an international conference later this month to discuss ways to combat the growing bird flu outbreak that has killed 12 people in Vietnam in a month, an official said today.

A 17-year-old boy suspected of having bird flu has died, Vietnamese officials said today, as they banned poultry imports and stepped up measures to stop the disease from spreading.