JAKARTA, Jan 15 (Reuters) - One of two hospitals designated to treat bird flu cases in the Indonesian capital has been overwhelmed with patients with symptoms of the disease, a doctor said on Monday. In response to a new surge in cases, two Indonesian ministers said the government was pressing for a ban on backyard fowl in three provincial areas worst hit by the H5N1 bird flu virus.

Four Indonesians have died this year after a six-week lull in cases, taking the number of human deaths from bird flu in the country to 61, the highest of any country. Nine people with bird flu symptoms, including a 5-year-old girls in intensive care, were being treated at Jakarta's Persahabatan hospital and its isolation rooms could accept no more patients, the head of the hospital's bird flu ward said.

Japan: Culling begins at farm hit by bird flu

Agricultural authorities began culling thousands of chickens at a southern Japanese poultry farm Sunday after test results found a pathogenic strain of the bird flu virus, officials said amid the nation's latest outbreak of the disease.

Some 4,000 chickens have died at a farm in the town of Kiyotake in Japan's southern prefecture (state) of Miyazaki since last week, and local officials said late Saturday that the virus belonged to the broad H5 family.

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Bird flu spreading in northern Nigeria

Adiya Farm, Nigeria - The detection of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza in Sokoto means the disease is or has been present in 17 of Nigeria's 36 states and in the Federal Capital Territory.

The officials sprayed chemicals to kill more than 21,000 chickens at Adiya farm, about 10 miles from the state capital, while labourers wearing no protective equipment dug a pit to bury the birds.

The first African country to be hit by bird flu, Nigeria has not reported any human cases of the disease although experts warn surveillance may not be completely effective and cases may have gone undetected.

"There was a lot of movement of people and poultry over the Christmas, New Year and Eid celebrations and that is what has caused this new outbreak," said Junaidu Maina, head of Nigeria's livestock department.

Authorities on avian flu alert as migratory birds arrive

Dubai: With the start of the migratory bird season, the authorities have become vigilant to monitor the situation to prevent bird flu related cases from entering the country.

A fresh wave of bird flu related cases in Asia has once again forced the authorities concerned to be on their toes. In the latest case, the avian virus infected a farmer in China and killed an Indonesian teenager.

According to the World Health Organisation statistics, H5N1 strain of bird flu virus has infected 263 people in 10 countries since 2003 killing 157.

"We did not relax at all despite the fact that there has been no reported bird flu case in the UAE," said Dr Hesham Ahmad Fahmi, Head of the Veterinary Section at the Dubai Municipality.

He said the special committee of the municipality, which works in coordination with the UAE's National Emergency Committee on Bird Flu, monitors the situation regularly.