First H7N9 found on Chinese poultry farm

Mainland authorities have discovered H7N9 on a Guangdong poultry farm, just two weeks after the agriculture minister noted that the country's farms had so far been free from the deadly bird flu strain.

Xinhua reported last night that Guangdong provincial agriculture authorities had confirmed finding traces of H7N9 in chicken samples collected from the Zhuhai Jinfeng Poultry farm in Zhuhai - a facility that supplies poultry to Macau.

The disclosure comes two weeks after Agriculture Minister Han Changfu said on the sidelines of the National People's Congress in Beijing that the outbreak appeared contained to wet markets.

"First, the whole nation has so far not found a single case of poultry infected with H7N9," Han said at a March 6 press conference. "Secondly, no poultry farm has so far been found to have any trace of the virus."

Han said the virus should not deter people from eating chicken and noted that thorough cooking would kill the strain.

Traces of H7N9 in chickens from the Zhuhai farm were first discovered by Macau authorities last week, according to the Macau Daily News. Local authorities culled 7,500 birds in the Nam Yue wholesale market, including those supplied by the farm.