China reports new bird flu outbreak
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-06-19 20:11 A new bird flu outbreak has been reported in
north China's Shanxi Province, said sources with the Ministry of Agriculture
Monday.
The outbreak was identified after chickens died in poultry farms in Changzi
County of Changzhi City.
Samples of the dead poultry were sent to the national bird flu laboratory and
the H5N1 virus was identified in them, said the ministry.
The local government has launched an emergency response and quarantined the
infected area. Experts and veterinarians have started disinfection and culling
poultry in the area to prevent possible new outbreaks.
The local veterinarian department has stepped up publicity campaigns to teach
residents how to protect themselves against the virus.
The Ministry of Agriculture has also sent a team of experts to Changzi and
reported the case to international organizations.
China has recorded more than 30 outbreaks of bird flu since last October. The
last outbreak occurred in remote Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region early this
month and the government said it was contained two days after the confirmation.
A human case of bird flu was confirmed on June 15 in south China's Guangdong
Province, bringing the country's total human infections to 19.
China's chief veterinary officer Jia Youling warned last week that the virus
was on the rise among migratory birds this year.
A total of 1,168 migratory birds had been found dead in Qinghai and Tibet by
June 1. The disease was striking more species of bird than last year, Jia said,
noting the Ministry of Agriculture would target migration paths for future
supervision, especially in areas with a record of infection.
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