January 30, 2008

Saudi Arabia culls 158,000 chickens on fresh bird flu outbreak

The Saudi Agriculture Ministry ordered a cull of 158,000 chickens Tuesday (January 29, 2008) after the confirmation of a new outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu that is dangerous to humans.

The outbreak was detected on a poultry farm in the Al-Kharj region, 80 kilometres south of Riyadh, said a ministry statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

Since the latest outbreak of bird flu was discovered on Nov. 15, some 4 million birds have been culled on at least 15 separate infected farms.

Saudi Arabia also reported an outbreak of bird flu last March.

There have been no reports of the disease spreading to humans in Saudi Arabia.

Worldwide, H5N1 has killed more than 200 people since 2003, most of them in Asia, the World Health Organization says.