China reports H5N1 outbreak

2006-09-30 16:09

Beijing - A new outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu killed 985 chickens in China's northern region of Inner Mongolia, reported the state news agency on Saturday.

The discovery, in a village near the city of Baotou, prompted health authorities to destroy 8 990 chickens to prevent the virus from spreading, said the Xinhua News Agency.

A laboratory confirmed on Friday that the dead birds had the H5N1 strain of the virus, said the Xinhua agency.

According to the World Health Organisation, the strain has killed at least 148 people worldwide since its emergence in Asia three years ago.

China has reported dozens of H5N1 outbreaks in its vast poultry flocks and has destroyed millions of birds in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus.

Veterinary experts believe the virus is spread in China by wild fowl that migrate across the vast country.

There have been 13 reported human deaths from bird flu in China, including a soldier who died in 2003 but whose infection was only confirmed through genetic testing in August this year.

Eight poultry outbreaks were recorded this year in central China, as well as areas of the north, east and southwest.

The most recent outbreak was reported in Changsha in the central province of Hunan, where 1 805 ducks were killed.

Xinhua said a quarantine on the area was lifted on September 6, as no new cases had been found for three weeks.

- AP