H5N6 Bird Flu Reported in Northeast China
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2 September 2014, at 12:18am
CHINA - Northeast China's Heilongjiang province has reported an outbreak of the H5N6 bird flu virus in geese, according to the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA).
Over 20,000 geese at a farm in Harbin, the provincial capital, showed symptoms of avian flu and almost 18,000 died last month, according to the MOA.
The National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory on 1 September confirmed the epidemic was caused by the H5N6 subtype of the virus.
The infected area has been sealed off and sterilized with almost 69,000 poultry culled and safely disposed, the MOA said.
Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a contagious disease of animal origin caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs. It can be fatal to humans.
You can visit the Avian Flu page by clicking here.