Deadly Bird Flu Breaks Out in China As 24,000 Ducks Die On Single Farm
The dangerous H5N6 bird flu was discovered in the duck farm
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A deadly strain of “highly pathogenic” bird flu has broke in China killing almost 24,000 ducks killed at a single farm as the epidemic spirals out of control.
The dangerous H5N6 bird flu was discovered in the duck farm in Guangxi Province.
The strain was described as “highly pathogenic” by the OIE, World Organisation for Animal Health.
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Chinese Agriculture Ministry confirmed that 23,950 ducks out of a flock of 30,462 ducks have been killed by the virus.
The Express reports: In a separate report, China also reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H7N9 bird flu in a garden in Shaanxi province. The virus killed 810 out of a flock of 1,000 birds, the OIE said.
It comes after the same H5N6 bird flu strain was discovered in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales earlier this month.
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Lesley Griffiths, the Welsh Government’s cabinet member for energy, planning and rural affairs, said: “This finding is not unexpected at this time of year and there is a constant risk of the disease at this time.
“The main source of infection to captive birds is wild waterfowl, and biosecurity measures must address both direct and indirect spread of infection to areas where domestic birds are kept.
“Birds of prey, such as buzzards, are probably infected by eating affected waterfowl and are unlikely to play a role in transmission.
“The movement of poultry should be minimised, and clothing and equipment should always be cleansed and disinfected before and after their use.”
