December 24, 2013
China reports outbreak of H5N2 bird flu
China's Ministry of Agriculture announced that an outbreak of H5N2 bird flu has been reported in a poultry farm in north China's Hebei province, according to state news agency, Xinhua.
Since they first displayed symptoms of the suspected avian flu on December 17, the disease has killed 4,000 chickens at a farm in Baoding City, the ministry said.
The National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory confirmed the cause of the outbreak was H5N2 bird flu after testing samples collected at the farm.
Authorities have sealed off and sterilised the infected area, where a total of 125,700 chickens have been culled and safely disposed of to prevent the outbreak from spreading.
Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a contagious disease of animal origin caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs and can be fatal to humans.