November 25, 2005

China's Xinjiang hit by new bird flu outbreak

Chinese authorities have confirmed a new bird flu outbreak in the north-west Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Official reports stated 11 poultry recently died of bird flu in Turpan city, Xinjiang. A state bird flu lab has confirmed that they were infected by the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu.

So far, local authorities have culled 5,180 poultry within three kilometres of the outbreak's epicenter.