China has detected an outbreak of the bird flu near the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus, according to a report.
The bird flu outbreak was reported Saturday in Hunan, which borders the province of Hubei where the coronavirus broke out last month, according to the South China Morning Post.
“The outbreak occurred in a farm in the Shuangqing district of Shaoyang city,” officials said. “The farm has 7,850 chickens, and 4,500 of the chickens have died from the contagion.”
The fatal illness known as the H5N1 virus causes “a highly infectious, severe respiratory disease in birds,” according to the World Health Organization.
The flu can be transmitted to humans, but there have been no reports of anyone with the illness, the outlet said.
The outbreak comes as Chinese authorities work to contain the new coronavirus strain, which has killed more than 300 people.
New York Post