A bird flu outbreak in northwestern China that killed nearly 5,000 fowls and led to the slaughter of 35,000 more is under control, state press on Wednesday quoted a top official as saying.
The outbreak, first reported last week, occurred in the city of Turpan in the remote Xinjiang region on December 29 and had been confirmed as the H5N1 virus, which can be deadly to humans.
"Once it was discovered, it was brought under control in a timely manner and was stopped from spreading," the China Daily quoted agriculture vice minister Gao Hongbin as saying.
The outbreak killed 4,850 fowls and led to the slaughter of 35,000 more, but no human cases have been reported, the paper said.
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The newspaper quoted an unnamed official as saying a warmer than usual winter had brought more migratory birds to the area, possibly contributing to the outbreak.
Outbreaks of the disease are not uncommon in China, which has a vast poultry industry typically marked by lax sanitation practices.
Bird flu has so far infected at least 27 people in China. Seventeen of those people have died, including the most recent victim last month.
H5N1 has killed about 200 people and ravaged poultry flocks worldwide since 2003, according to the World Health Organisation.
China conducted a huge campaign last year to contain the disease, vaccinating millions of poultry and stepping up public education efforts.
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