Avian flu vaccination to begin in China.

Avian flu vaccination to begin in China. China takes avian flu control to next level as threat to poultry, humans intensifies. Asian countries are bearing the brunt of the current global battle against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). New outbreaks in poultry are reported in South Korea, Taiwan and China, and the Beijing government is to start a vaccination program to try to control the further spread of the virus. In Europe, French farmers hit by recent epidemics are receiving compensation payments, while there are new cases in Belgium. Among African countries, Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria have confirmed new outbreaks in poultry. In the last week, China’s ministry of agriculture has reported to the OIE that poultry at four more locations have tested positive for the H7N9 HPAI virus variant, bringing the total number of outbreaks since March this year to nine. Latest to be affected were two farms in Inner Mongolia, one in Guangxi, and a slaughterhouse in Longyan city (Fujian province). Almost 462,000 birds were destroyed as a result of the findings. As of June 10, the total number of confirmed human cases of influenza A(H7N9) reported globally increased to 1,533, according to the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) in Hong Kong. Of these, 727 cases have been recorded in Mainland China since October 2016. The most recent patients – with disease onset between April 25 and June 6 – numbered 12 and were located in Beijing and six provinces. Concern over the threat to the health of humans and poultry posed by the H7N9 HPAI virus lies behind the latest announcement from China’s ministry of agriculture to begin vaccination of poultry against the virus, according to Reuters.source