China Had An Outbreak of HPAI in Xinjiang - CHINA - Today, FAS Beijing received an official notice of China's highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) - H5N1 in Xinjiang. The Ministry of Agriculture of China notified OIE of this outbreak On March 8, 2005. There were 2,177 susceptible and 460 infected birds, and totally 13,457 birds were culled. According to AQSIQ to date, no country has taken quarantine measures against China's commercial poultry yet. AQSIQ request the U.S. to regionalize the HPAI case.

Summary

Today, the General Administration of Quality Control, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) notified to FAS Beijing Office On an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) – H5N1 on a backyard farm in Tacheng district, Tacheng city in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. There were 2,177 susceptible and 460 infected birds. A total of 13,457 birds were destroyed. The Chinese Government has isolated the infected area and vaccinated birds around the area. The source of the outbreak is under investigation.

On June 8, 2005, Dr. Jia Youling, the Chief Veterinary Officer of China’s Ministry of Agriculture, notified this outbreak to the OIE.

This is the second time within three weeks that China reported to OIE on HPAI outbreak. The previous outbreak was reported on May 21, which occurred in migratory birds in Qinghai Province that is adjacent to Xinjiang.

It is too early to say how much this will affect China’s poultry production. Xinjiang is not a main poultry-producing province in China. Its annual slaughter is only about 74 million birds accounting less than 1 percent of the total slaughter in China. If the Governme nt could control the disease efficiently, it would not impact China’s poultry production.

Post has contacted both AQSIQ and the Ministry of Agriculture and learned that to date no country has taken quarantine measures against China’s poultry. Post will closely watch the development of AI situation in China.

The following is Post’s translation of an urgent notification from AQSIQ to FAS Beijing Office

“(Urgent)
(Unofficial Translation)
June 10, 2005
Embassy of the United States of America
Beijing
Re: Urgent Notification of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak in Xinjiang

This urgent notification of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China (AQSIQ) is to notify an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in geese birds in Xingjiang in China.

According to China’s Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), Xinjiang Veterinary Bureau reported that a backyard poultry farm in Tacheng City of Tacheng Prefecture in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region found dead cases in geese birds. There were 1,402 infected birds and 460 dead cases. Totally, 13,457 infected or birds of the same herd were culled. On June 7, 2005, the National AI Reference Lab confirmed it was HPAI – H5N1. After the outbreak, the Xingjiang Veterinary Bureau has taken measures to control the disease based on China’s relevant laws and regulations on animal disease control and prevention, including isolation, sterilization, culling of all poultry in the infected area, disinfections, and vaccination. Now, the disease is under control.

AQSIQ has suspended exports of live poultry or poultry related products from the infected area (except the processed poultry products treated with heat temperature at or above 70 degrees centigrade at least one minute such as cooked poultry meat, poultry meat and bone meal; egg products such as preserved eggs, salted eggs and egg powder; down products such as down jackets, down quilts, washed down or feather that comply with the national standards, and poultry feather meal).

AQSIQ will strengthen its supervision and quarantine inspection on the procedure of production, processing and transportation of exported live poultry and poultry products in non-infected areas.. AQSIQ will also conduct strict surveillance and control of bird flu on relevant export-oriented poultry farms in order to guarantee the safety of exported live poultry and poultry products.

AQSIQ requests the U.S. Embassy to report this to the relevant U.S. government agencies. AQSIQ hopes that the U.S. authorities will adopt a scientific and practical attitude based on the principal of WTO/SPS quarantine measures that to minimize trade impacts and not restrict U.S. imports of China poultry products from non-infected areas. We would like to cooperate closely with the responsible U.S. government agency and strengthen our information exchange and communication, so as to jointly promote the bilateral trade.

AQSIQ would like to take this opportunity to thank the FAS office at the U.S. Embassy for its long historical support to AQSIQ work.

General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine The People’s Republic of China”

Source: USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service - 10th June 2005