# 2550
Providing scant details, Chinese authorities have reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus in Jiangsu Province, in Eastern China.
From the sound of the report, the culling has already been completed. Reportedly more than 300,000 fowl were affected.
As of 0615 hrs EDT, I can find no update on the OIE site.
This from AP News.
Dec 16, 3:34 AM EST
Bird flu found in chickens in eastern China
BEIJING (AP) -- Authorities in eastern China have killed more than 300,000 fowl after bird flu was discovered in chickens, the Agriculture Ministry said Tuesday.
Veterinary officials in Hai'an county and the city of Dongtai, both in Jiangsu province, said chickens in the two areas tested positive for the H5N1 virus, according to a ministry statement faxed to The Associated Press.
It did not say when the birds got sick, whether they had died from the virus or how many were infected. The areas are about 20 miles (30 kilometers) apart.
In order to prevent an outbreak, authorities in Hai'an and Dongtai killed 377,000 chickens and other domestic fowl in surrounding areas, the ministry said. They have also disinfected and quarantined affected zones and banned the transport of fowl and related products from Hai'an and Dongtai, it said.
Migrating birds may have been the source of the disease, it said, without giving details.
