August 11, 2005

Bird flu outbreak among poultry in Tibet 
 

An avian flu outbreak has killed 133 chickens on a farm in Tibetan capital Lhasa, though no human cases were reported, FAO announced Aug 11.

China's Agriculture Ministry said that the chickens carried the pathogenic H5N1 bird flu strain and as a result, an additional 2,600 birds in the surrounding area had been culled.

This is the first outbreak in the Himalayan region this year.

Bird flu has killed more than 6,000 migratory birds in China's northern province of Qinghai, with cases reported also in Xinjiang, a province in north-western China. Both areas border Tibet.

World animal health body OIE director-general Bernard Vallat, said that the bird flu could have spread to Tibet probably because China had not enforced bird vaccination through the entire country. He thus hoped that vaccination could be extended to contain the virus.

Health experts have also warned that migratory birds in Qinghai could spread the virus to India, Australia, New Zealand and even Europe when they fly south during the summer.