China Tuesday confirmed an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of
bird flu in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
The 1,800 poultry which died in a village in the Dazhu County
were confirmed to have H5N1, the Ministry of Agriculture said on
its website.
Some 12,900 poultry in the vicinity of the affected area have
been culled to contain spread, the ministry said.
H5N1 is the bird flu virus that scientists fear may mutate into
a strain that can spread easily among people, unleashing a human
pandemic that could kill millions.
The H5N1 virus has killed more than 70 people in Asia since late
2003 and is endemic in poultry flocks across parts of the
region.
China, along with Vietnam, has suffered numerous outbreaks in
poultry since October and Beijing has launched sweeping measures to
stop the virus spreading and infecting more people, including a
campaign to vaccinate all domestic poultry.
Previously, China has reported 31 bird flu outbreaks in poultry
and seven human cases of bird flu, including three fatalities.
(Chinadaily.com.cn January 4, 2006)