[Cindy]

Ok, here is your link:

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/news/051605_APlocal_ship.html

Not enough info, let's check these links:

http://www.newscientist.com
http://www.sciencedaily.com

This is interesting, but not related to your story:
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/bird-flu

Nothing related to your story in those links.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/4495288/detail.html

Article snippet: "At 1 p.m., a ship arrived in Houston from China with an illegal rice-straw packing material that has the potential of carrying diseases, according to authorities."

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&ncl=http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp%3FS%3D3352342

http://www.altavista.com/web/results?itag=ody&q=%22in+rice+straw%22&kgs=0&kls=0

http://www.altavista.com/web/results?itag=ody&q=%22rice+straw%22&kgs=0&kls=0

[Right_Handed_Writer]

"At 1 p.m., a ship arrived in Houston from China with an illegal rice-straw packing material that has the potential of carrying diseases, according to authorities."

Here's a little pest that shipped in to Chicago from China, burrowed into wood pallets, that devestated a few neighborhoods worth of trees, with an affinity for Silver Maples. I had Forestry Dept. inspectors out again in early Spring checking to see if there were any new hatches. $$MILLIONS$$ have been spent here in Chicago due to this.

Ugly buggers at that.