Bird flu found in western China as US combats cattle outbreak

BEIJING – Cases of bird flu have been confirmed among wild fowl in western China, the Agriculture Ministry said on May 18, as concerns grow over

an outbreak in the United States

infecting cattle herds.

Two counties in Qinghai province confirmed 275 cases of H5 influenza among dead Pallas’ gulls and other wild birds, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in a notice on its website.

The ministry received a report on the cases from the China Animal Disease Control Centre, and the national Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory confirmed the finding, the notice said.

The

H5N1 outbreak among dairy cattle in at least nine US states

since late March has raised questions over whether it could spread to humans. No such cases in humans have been reported.

The US announced on May 11 that it would spend close to US$200 million (S$269 million) to fight the outbreak.

News of the cases in China came as the nation’s anti-graft watchdog announced a corruption probe of the country’s Agriculture Minister on May 18. REUTERS