BEIJING (Reuters): China reported an outbreak of a highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 bird flu at a farm in Shaoyang city of the southern province of Hunan, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Saturday (Feb 1).

The case occurred on a farm with 7,850 chickens, 4,500 of which have died of the bird flu.

The authorities have culled 17,828 poultry following the outbreak. - Reuters

(Reporting by Judy Hua and Se Young Lee)