December 5, 2008

                    
China bans Thai poultry following H5N1 bird flu outbreak

China has banned poultry imports and its related products from Thailand following a deadly H5N1 strain avian influenza outbreak there, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture.

The strain was discovered October 27 in Thailand, Xinhua said. It is not immediately clear why China decided to ban poultry at this juncture.

The report didn't indicate how much poultry China imports from Thailand. The deadly H5N1 strain is blamed for hundreds of human deaths around the world and has devastated poultry stocks globally.

Health officials fear a mutating virus, which is already known to jump from birds to humans that may cause a global pandemic.