China confirms bird flu, goat plague cases

The Peninsula (Feb. 19, 2014) | The Ministry of Agriculture yesterday confirmed outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu in poultry in the Guizhou Province in southwest and goat plague in northwestern Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Last week a farm in a village of Xixiu district in Anshun City of Guizhou reported 3,629 chickens had shown symptoms of suspected avian flu and 976 had died, Xinhua reported. The National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory confirmed the epidemic was H5N1 after testing collected samples. Authorities have sealed off and sterilised infected areas, where infected chickens and goats have been culled.