Authorities confirmed Tuesday that the latest death of ducks in
south China's Guangxi
Zhuang Autonomous Region was caused by the bird flu virus, but no
infections in human beings have been found so far.
Right after the death report of ducks from a duck farm in
Dingdang Town, Long'an County on Friday, the local government
decimated 14,000 poultry three kilometers around the duck farm, and
quarantined all poultry five kilometers around the duck farm.
The national bird flu reference laboratory confirmed, after
testing on samples sent in by the local government, that the death
was caused by the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus.
The local government has isolated the area following the death
report in accordance with China's Law on Animal Epidemic
Prevention.
A separate report on Monday said that death reports followed in
a chicken raising household in Wuxue city in central Hubei
Province and in a duck raising household in Wugang city in
neighboring Hunan
Province. Local veterinary departments preliminarily diagnosed
the cause of the deaths as suspect deadly H5N1 strain of the bird
flu virus. Local governments have made necessary measures of
slaughter or quarantine to prevent a spread, and sent samples to
related authorities.
No people have been found infected so far and the epidemic has
been in control, governments said.
The relevant ministries and local governments were closely
watching on the situations where bird deaths had been reported, and
probing into the source of the virus.
Measures have been made to strictly control exports of bird
flu-affected areas to either domestic or overseas markets.
The Ministry of Agriculture has launched nationwide preventive
and control efforts, and will announce the epidemic surveillance
information.
Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of
Health have informed the UN Food and
Agricultural Organization and the World Health Organization of the
cases, and said their roles in exchanges and cooperation on bird
flu prevention and control are welcome.
(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2004)