China reports outbreak of H5N6 bird flu

On April 12, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture reported that a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza - H5N6 - had been detected in wild birds in the northeastern province of Liaoning, marking the first confirmed case in the country this year.

At the site of the outbreak, a forest park in the provincial capital Shenyang, 291 infected birds were identified and 11 of them died from the disease, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in a statement. The remaining 280 birds were killed as part of the emergency response, he said. The latest case of H5N6 infection in CHINA reported by the ministry was at a poultry farm in southwestern Sichuan province in February 2020.

Some other Asian countries, such as Japan and SOUTH KOREA, have been hit hard by bird flu outbreaks this year, forcing officials to cull millions of birds. A similar situation was observed in the EU market, where France, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands were affected by bird flu.