Live poultry markets suspended in two Chinese cities due to bird flu fears
The eastern cities of Wuxi and Suzhou in the Jiangsu province in China have announced the suspension of live poultry trade due to fears of the recent bird flu outbreaks in the country.
Wuxi will close live poultry wholesale markets, restrict vehicles carrying live poultry from entering its markets, and temporarily ban the entry of outside poultry, according to the official microblog of the city’s information office.
Meanwhile, Suzhou, which is located next to Wuxi, said it would suspend the trade of live poultry in the interests of public health after neighboring provinces reported cases of human bird flu infections.
At least seven people in mainland China have been infected this winter with the H7N9 bird flu strain and two have already died. Hong Kong reported one death on Christmas Day.
Wuxi and Suzhou lie on the shores of 2,250-sq-km Taihu Lake, which is a favorite stopover for migratory birds. The two cities are also located just west of China’s financial capital of Shanghai where one case of human bird flu infection was reported last week.
Wuxi said it would strengthen efforts in monitoring the H7N9 strain and focus on disease control and prevention in places like poultry farms and migratory birds’ habitats.
“Winter and spring are high seasons for the H7N9 strain. Wuxi city issued the notice to protect public health and maintain public health safety,” the microblog said.
Jiangsu’s provincial commission of health and family planning told Reuters there were no new cases of infection.
“Local governments have already taken relevant measures, as you have noticed. There are no new cases,” an official at the authority said.
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
