First genetic mutation of H7N9 bird flu found in Guangdong patients
The first genetic mutation of the H7N9 bird flu virus has been found in patients in Guangdong, China, with specialists warning this will lead to more dead poultry. At the same time, France is culling a further 600,000 ducks in the foie gras region of Landes in its attempts to stop the spread of the H5N8 bird flu virus. In Vietnam, H5N1 and H5N6 bird flu outbreaks are spreading with tens of thousands of birds being culled in two weeks. In the UK, stores such as M&S and Tesco are warning customers which are barn eggs due to bird flu concerns, igniting fears of an end to free-range eggs.

An H7N9 bird flu patient is treated in a hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province. A mutation of the strain has been found in Guangdong province. Photo: AFP