September 19, 2012

China's Guangdong Province affected by bird flu

The H5N1 avian bird flu has been reported in the Guangdong Province, China.

The virus has infected 14,050 ducks and killed 6,300 of them since September. 11, when symptoms were first reported, a Ministry of Agriculture official said.

After the epidemic was confirmed, local authorities cordoned off an infected area in the city and killed all poultry in the area before starting to decontaminate it, the official said.

China is particularly prone to bird flu epidemics, as it has the world's largest poultry population and many rural farmers live in close proximity to their poultry.