The H5N8 virus, which has killed a large number of wild birds so far, has been identified in Yulin, in northwest China’s Shaanxi province.
Local authorities have launched an emergency response, disposing of the dead animals and disinfecting the area.
H5N8, a subtype of a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPV), has been found in a national nature reserve, China’s agriculture and rural affairs ministry said on Wednesday.
In total, 4,249 wild birds have died in the epidemic’s epicenter. This year, China has reported six cases of HPAIV, and all have involved wild animals. The epidemic has occurred sporadically and there are no regional outbreaks.
Last week, eastern China’s Jiangsu Province reported the world’s first case of a human infected with H10N3 bird flu.
Chinese health officials said hours after news of a case was from occasional bird-to-human transmission and that the risk of large-scale spread is extremely low.
Read also : First case of H10N3 recorded in Jiangsu, China
In mid-May, China reported an outbreak of H5N8 avian influenza in Nagqu, in the Tibet Autonomous Region (southwest of China), said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
“The highly pathogenic disease has been detected among wild birds in two areas of Nagqu, including a national wetland park. So far, 268 birds have been infected and died from the disease ”, said the ministry.
Local authorities activated an emergency response, sterilized the area and safely disposed of all dead birds.
