April 20, 2009
Tibet confirms bird flu case
China's Ministry of Agriculture confirmed Sunday (Apr 19) the outbreak of a bird flu case among poultry in the Tibetan capital Lhasa.
The national bird flu laboratory said the virus was found in poultry sold at a wholesale market in Lhasa on April 12.
The ministry added that emergency measures have been taken and the epidemic has been brought under control with the culling of 1,679 birds. Meanwhile, people who came into contact with the infected poultry did not show any signs of illness.
China reported its first bird flu outbreak among poultry this year in February in Xinjiang, in the far northwest of the country.
According to the latest World Health Organisation figures, 25 people have died from bird flu in China since the disease re-emerged in 2003.
