August 20, 2004

China Claims Deadly Bird Flu Strain Found In Pigs

China says it has made the unprecedented discovery of a deadly strain of bird flu in pigs.

An official from the China National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory, Chen Hualan, says scientists discovered the lethal H5N1 virus in pigs tested in 2003, and again in others this year.

She says it is the first time the disease has been found in pigs.

The virus has been presently found only in birds and poultry and its transmission to humans has been limited.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) disease expert attending the conference, Julie Hall, expressed surprise at the revelation.

This news comes as Malaysia announced the presence of the deadly H5N1 strain of virus in the country's first outbreak of bird flu.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has been blamed for the deaths of at least 27 people in Vietnam and Thailand this year.