Fresh bird flu outbreaks in China
China has confirmed outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza amongst poultry in the country’s Guizhou and Hebei provinces.
The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) confirmed yesterday that 8,500 birds died on a farm in the village of Libo County in Guizhou on 27 December. Testing by the National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory confirmed the birds were infected with H5N1 bird flu, and 23,067 chickens were culled to prevent the disease from spreading.
Previously, the MOA confirmed an outbreak of H5N2 bird flu among birds on a farm in Zhuzhuang village in the Hebei province on 21 December. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) report on the outbreak said that 4,000 birds fell ill and died on the farm, with a further 125,700 birds culled by authorities.
