Via Reuters: China finds suspected H5N1 outbreak among ducks. Excerpt:
China has discovered a suspected outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus among ducks in an outlying district of the southern metropolis of Guangzhou, the Agriculture Ministry said on Saturday.
The ministry said on its Web site that by Thursday, 9,830 ducks had died of the outbreak in Guangzhou's Panyu District.
Initial tests by provincial officials showed that the birds had died of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus, which can be transmitted to humans, the ministry said.
They had submitted samples to a national laboratory for further testing, it said, adding that authorities had culled nearly 33,000 ducks to contain the outbreak.
Guangzhou and its suburbs have doubtless changed since my wife and I taught English there 24 years ago. Our campus on the slopes of Baiyun Shan was part of a rural-industrial landscape: farms and factories mingled right up to the end of the airport runways. Staff and faculty living on campus had their own flocks of chickens, and nearby farmers sold their goods just a few steps from our apartment. It's all a lot different now.
But poultry and people must still mingle there, and the potential for trouble is great.
Update: Xinhuanet has a fairly detailed report on the outbreak.
