June 22, 2005

Latest bird flu outbreak in China

China has reported another outbreak of bird flu at Xinjiang province, following reports that misuse of the amantadine antibiotic rendered it useless against a more resistant bird flu virus. This is the third outbreak in the country in the past two months.

The Chinese government revealed that at least 128 geese and ducks were infected, and 63 of them were killed by the H5N1 strain of the virus.

In response, authorities have culled 1490 birds in the infected farm and nearby areas in Changji city in Xinjiang.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government reportedly refuted claims that it supported Chinese farmers in misusing amantadine to treat bird flu in poultry. It also said that inspection teams would be dispatched nationwide to stop this practice.

While the government seemed to acknowledge that some farmers might have used the antibiotic on their poultry, there were no official confirmations that this was the case.