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Virus outbreaks may change poultry raising
(China Daily/AFP)
Updated: 2005-12-01 06:02
30th outbreak reported
China announced that another outbreak of the bird flu had appeared in the
westernmost region of Xinjiang, bringing the total number of bird flu epidemics
in the country this year to 30.
Some 300 farm raised poultry died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in
Biesituobie village in Xinyuan county on November 24, the Ministry of
Agriculture reported on its website.
"On November 11, after testing at state bird flu laboratories, it was
confirmed that the outbreak was the H5N1 avian flu," the ministry said.
The outbreak was the ninth to have hit Xinjiang this year, making the region
one of the hardest hit by the bird flu.
The Xinjiang government has culled some 1.18 million farm raised birds within
a three kilometer (1.8 mile) radius of the Biesituobie outbreak, it said.
Scientists warn that continued contact between infected birds and humans may
eventually result in the virus mutating into a form that could be easily passed
on by humans, sparking a pandemic that could kill millions.
Nine arrested over fake bird flu vaccine
Nine people have been arrested for selling fake bird flu vaccines that are
suspected to have contributed to an outbreak of the disease in northeastern
China's Liaoning province.
Police have arrested officials of the Jinyu Group, a company based in Inner
Mongolia that produces medicines, and of the Inner Mongolian Biological Medical
Products Factory, the Liaoxi Commercial Daily reported Wednesday.
After a 20-day investigation covering four provinces and regions, police
found the two companies had manufactured and sold 200,000 vials of 12 different
kinds of bird flu vaccine nationwide, the report said.
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