Here is a brief chronology of the spread of Asian bird flu:

Dec 15, 2003 - South Korea confirms a highly contagious type of bird flu at a chicken farm near Seoul and begins a mass cull of poultry when the virus rapidly spreads across the country.

Dec 31 - Taiwan reports its first case and later destroys thousands of chickens with a milder form of avian flu.

Jan 8, 2004 - Vietnam says bird flu has been found on many of its poultry farms.

Jan 13 - The World Health Organisation confirms the deaths of three people in Vietnam are linked to bird flu.

Jan 25 - Indonesia discovers an outbreak among chickens.

Jan 26 - Thailand confirms the death of a six-year-old boy, its first human death from bird flu.

Feb 12 - The World Health Organisation confirms tests show no evidence bird flu is passing from person to person.

March 16 - China declares it has stamped out the disease in all 49 hotbeds and has had no reports among poultry for 29 days.

May 26 - Thailand reports a fresh case of bird flu is found in several dead chickens on a university research farm in the northern city of Chiang Mai.

Aug 19 - Malaysia says a strain of bird flu has been found in two chickens that died in a northern village near the Thai border in the country's first bird flu outbreak.

Sept 27 - Thailand says it has found its first known probable case of a human being infecting another with bird flu. It said this was an isolated incident that posed little risk to the greater population.

Dec 15 - Taiwan says it has discovered two strains of avian flu in migratory birds in the northern part of the island, the milder H5N2 strain and also the H5N6 strain.

April 5, 2005 - The UN says that the H7 strain of bird flu previously undetected in Asia has been found in North Korea.

July 8 - The Philippines says it has suffered its first case of bird flu, in ducks. It later says it is free from any highly pathogenic strain of bird flu.

July 20 - Indonesia confirms its first deaths from bird flu.

July 26 - Japan says a fresh outbreak of bird flu has been discovered on a chicken farm in eastern Japan. All outbreaks in the Ibaraki prefecture since late June have been confirmed as the weak H5N2 strain.

Aug 9 - Vietnam reports one new human death from bird flu, taking its death toll to 43. The H5N1 virus has also killed 12 people in Thailand, four in Cambodia and three in Indonesia.

Aug 10 - The bird flu virus has been found in Tibet, the world animal health body OIE says.

Aug 15 - Russia reports an outbreak of bird flu in the Urals region of Chelyabinsk, the sixth region to be affected.

Aug 23 - In Kazakhstan a bird flu outbreak of the H5N1 strain in seven northern villages is confirmed as dangerous to humans.

Aug 26 - Finland says it has found a possible case of bird flu in a seagull in the northern town of Oulu.

Sept 1 - Vietnam reports one new human death from bird flu, taking its total to 44.

Sept 15 - United States says it has promised Vietnam $2.5 million over 5 years to improve its collection of information on bird flu. Vietnam says it is vaccinating poultry to prevent new outbreaks.

Sept 16 - Indonesia confirms fourth human death from bird flu.

Sept 26 - Indonesia confirms fifth human death from H5N1 strain of bird flu, says disease has spread to 22 of its 33 provinces.