July 7, 2004

 

 

China Suspects Bird Flu Caused By Migratory Water Fowl

 

Authorities believe a new outbreak of bird flu on a lakeside chicken farm in southeastern China may have originated among migratory water fowl, state media said Wednesday.

 

The cases in Anhui province, China's first outbreak reported in nearly four months, involve the same severe bird flu strain that ravaged Asia's poultry industry and jumped to people in Vietnam and Thailand earlier this year, killing 24. About 100 million chickens across the region were slaughtered to halt its spread.

 

The two Southeast Asian countries have also confirmed a re-emergence of the disease in recent days, with Thailand Wednesday declaring two "red zones" around affected farms where authorities are culling thousands of chickens.

 

China's Agriculture Ministry said the farm in Anhui was quarantined following confirmation of the flu Tuesday. All poultry within three kilometers (two miles) of the affected farm have been slaughtered and birds within five kilometers (three miles) vaccinated, the reports said.

 

"The local government has made necessary measures of slaughter or quarantine to prevent a spread and sent samples to the authorities. It has also isolated the area," the official Xinhua News Agency said. Reports said authorities were first informed of bird deaths on the farm on Saturday.

 

China's territory Hong Kong, a big consumer of chickens from the mainland, has suspended poultry imports from Anhui.

 

Xinhua said the Anhui outbreak was discovered on a lakeside farm near the city of Chaohu. Because chicks were bought from a local market where no flu has been reported, officials suspect migratory birds visiting the lake might have been the carriers.

 

An official with the Agriculture Ministry's livestock and poultry division said the outbreak had been contained, but gave no details.

 

"All necessary measures have been taken," said the man, who would not give his name.

 

Epidemic department officials in Anhui refused to answer questions.

 

A spokesman for the World Health Organization in Beijing said a new outbreak had been expected and said migratory birds could likely be the carriers.

 

"Migratory birds are a pretty common reservoir of avian flu, although it would be hard to confirm the link," Roy Wadia said.

 

He said Chinese authorities appear to have taken prompt measures to contain the outbreak.

 

"They're doing all that they're supposed to do. They have a lot of experience with this," Wadia said.