29 January 2008
China reports bird flu outbreak in poultry in Tibet
(Reuters) – Chinese officials have detected an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu in poultry in the TAR. A total of 1,000 poultry have died of the disease in Gongkar (Chin: Gongga) county since 25 January, while another 13,080 have been culled, the Ministry of Agriculture said on its website (www.agri.gov.cn). "The National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory confirmed the virus as a subtype of the H5N1 strain", it said. Chinese state media reported earlier this month that a total of 4,850 poultry had died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in Turpan, in Xinjiang, since 29 December, prompting authorities there to cull another 29,383 birds.