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China reports fourth bird flu outbreak in a month

Posted on: Thursday, 3 November 2005, 22:13 CST

BEIJING (Reuters) - China reported an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in its northeast province of Liaoning on Friday, the fourth to hit the country in a month.

The disease has killed 62 people in Asia and infected 122 since late 2003, but in almost every case the virus is believed to have been transmitted through human contact with birds.

Scientists fear H5N1 could mutate into a form that can pass easily from human to human, potentially leading to a global pandemic.

China's latest outbreak was found in domestic and wild birds last week, an official at the Agriculture Ministry told Reuters, and 8,940 chickens had died and 369,000 domestic birds had been culled within a three-km (2-mile) radius.

A Web site affiliated with the Agriculture Ministry (www.farmer.com.cn) added the outbreak was thought to have spread to poultry from migratory birds.

Some 14 million birds were vaccinated and Agriculture Minister Du Qinglin had rushed to the scene, the Web site said.

In October, China reported three outbreaks of bird flu killing 3,800 chickens, ducks and geese in northern Inner Mongolia, eastern Anhui and southern Hunan.

"Every outbreak is a cause for concern," spokesman Roy Wadia said. "Each time the H5N1 virus strikes birds, there's a possibility that humans are at risk as well.

"The important thing is how the authorities handle the outbreak, how swiftly it is addressed and how quickly birds are culled," Wadia added. "China in that practice has plenty of experience, so we are confident from the animal point of view the outbreaks are tackled as quickly as they can be."

China has not reported any bird flu infections in people since the latest outbreak of H5N1 first surfaced in Asia in late 2003 but officials have warned that China's size and vast population of wild and domestic birds make containing bird flu in the country especially difficult.

Travelers arriving in China from countries that have reported bird flu and who show symptoms such as fever or coughing would be subject to physical examinations, an official newspaper said on Friday of measures similar to steps taken by China in the SARS outbreak of 2003.

People arriving from Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Russia, Turkey and Romania would be subject to close scrutiny, the People's Daily overseas edition said, citing a decision of the health ministry and quarantine bureau.

During the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, China measured the temperature of everyone arriving in or leaving the country.

This week China earmarked $248 million to fight bird flu, and has been stepping up surveillance on migratory birds and poultry markets a well as stocking up on protective clothing and disinfectant.

The Asian Development Bank has said a year-long shock from bird flu in humans would cost Asian economies as much as $283 billion and would reduce the region's gross domestic product by 6.5 percentage points.

Source: REUTERS

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