The US banned imports of birds from parts of Asia, where outbreaks of bird flu have infected millions of poultry and killed at least 16 people.
The ban takes place immediately in an attempt to protect US poultry and humans, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson and Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said in a joint statement sent by e-mail.
The ban includes birds and bird products from Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, China, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. The US annually imports about 20,000 birds from these nations, the statement said.
The US had already placed restrictions on egg and hatchling imports from the same eight countries to protect against the spread of exotic Newcastle disease, said Ed Loyd, a Department of Agriculture spokesman, in an interview.
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