China's Ministry of Agriculture on Monday confirmed a bird flu
outbreak in south China's Guangzhou, which began with the mass
deaths of ducks on September 5.
The outbreak was confirmed as a sub-type of H5N1 bird flu by the
National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory, according to the
ministry.
It said 36,130 ducks had been culled as of September 17, after
farmers in Sixian Village and Xinzao Township in the Panyu district
of Guangzhou reported the deaths of their ducks on September 5.
The agriculture ministry and the Guangdong provincial government
immediately implemented an emergency plan to deal with the outbreak
and the ministry said the outbreak has been brought under
control.
It also said no further deaths of fowl have been reported in the
Panyu district or nearby areas.
The last reported case of H5N1 bird flu in China occurred on May
19 at Shijiping Village in Yiyang city of Hunan Province, which
killed more than 11,000 poultry with another 52,800 birds
culled.
China has reported a total of 25 human cases of bird flu since
2003, which have resulted in 16 deaths.
(Xinhua News Agency September 18, 2007)