Recently, there have been reports from various sources in mainland China indicating serious outbreaks of avian flu in at least five provinces. However, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has remained silent on the matter and has not issued any information regarding culling. People are concerned that many contaminated poultry have made their way to markets and onto people’s dinner tables.
A goose farmer and blogger known as “Goose Goose” issued a video warning on January 26, alerting fellow farmers about the outbreak of avian flu in meat ducks in Shandong, Henan, Hebei, saying it would have a negative impact on goose farming as some geese have been infected. He urged everyone to be vigilant.
A farmer from Henan also confirmed the devastation caused by the avian flu outbreak in Puyang, Henan, wiping out several goose farms.
A female farmer from Jiangsu, known as “Xiao Mian’ao,” had warned in a video in mid-December last year that the incidence of avian flu was high in Shandong, Anhui, Hebei, and the northeastern region. She emphasized the need for proper ventilation management to prevent emergencies, boost immunity, and cope with significant temperature fluctuations.
The company Jiangsu Sihong Liangyu Farming, which specializes in providing high-quality gooselings, issued an “emergency notice” in their egg-washing video on January 14, urging the injection of authentic avian flu vaccines. They recommended using the trivalent fire-killing vaccine or their custom-made avian flu vaccine.
According to a video released by the company on January 20, their vaccine is a trivalent fire-killing vaccine. They emphasized the importance of vaccinating geese properly with the “Recombinant Avian Influenza Virus (H5+H7) Trivalent Fire-killing Vaccine” made by Yibang Bioscience.
In Shandong Yinan, a chicken farm was almost completely wiped out as groups of chickens fell dead in succession. The farmer explained that the chickens had been vaccinated against the flu five days earlier, but it had little effect against the H5 virus strain.
A company providing technical support, “Weikong Yilian Farming,” emphasized the importance of early prevention, citing the need for immediate action when ten or so ducks or chickens exhibit typical neurological symptoms such as leg paralysis or neck twisting. Failure to control the situation promptly could lead to significant losses in birds within days.
A farmer from Shandong explicitly stated on the 29th that the avian flu outbreak had left farmers bankrupt.
In addition, according to a report from a virus detection center in mainland China in December of last year, subtypes of avian flu (H5N1, H5N2, H5N6, and H5N8) were prevalent in duck populations. Ducks and other poultry carrying the virus were identified as the main sources of infection.
According to a fluorescent PCR accounting report from the center, a 20-day-old runner duck from Jiangxi tested positive for flu virus and small virus on November 29. On December 9, 900 Landes geese from Shandong tested positive for gosling plague.
On December 21, 9,500 breeding ducks from Linyi, Shandong, tested positive for avian flu. On December 23, 15,000 meat ducks from Qin’an tested positive for avian flu.
On December 24, 8,000 No. 1 breed of muscovy ducks and 6,000 No. 2 breed of muscovy ducks from Liaocheng, Shandong, tested positive for yellow virus. On December 26, 900 Landes geese from Jining, Shandong, tested positive for avian flu virus and gosling plague.
On December 27, 5,000 muscovy ducks from Liaocheng, Shandong, aged 65 days, tested positive for yellow virus. On December 30, 800 Landes geese from Jining, Shandong, tested positive for avian flu virus.
Just three weeks ago on January 6, a farmer in Liaocheng, Shandong, lost thousands of ducks within five days. Testing revealed that besides the avian flu subtype, the flock was infected with yellow virus and circovirus, each posing a fatal threat.
Moreover, 25,000 18-day-old ducks without flu vaccination suddenly fell ill with runny nose and mouth six days ago. Laboratory testing showed that the flu virus strain in the ducks was the same as that found in egg-laying hens.
According to public information from Baidu Baike in mainland China, Flaviviruses, such as the Yellow Virus family, are a large group of enveloped single-stranded RNA viruses spread by blood-feeding arthropods like mosquitoes, ticks, and midges. The main strains in China include Japanese encephalitis virus, the forest encephalitis virus, and dengue virus.
Circoviruses, known for causing immune suppression in hosts leading to secondary or multiple infections, have caused significant economic losses in the global farming industry in recent years, especially with avian infectious anemia virus (CIAV) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), drawing worldwide attention.
The CCP has downplayed, or even ignored, the avian flu outbreaks in China, unlike the high-profile reports from official media on outbreaks in other countries like South Korea, where mass culling of poultry has occurred. The Chinese media has failed to report on the domestic avian flu situation.
Mr. Wang from Shanghai noted that there was no culling announcement in China, and diseased chickens were being sold by farmers. A farmer from Jiangsu also told Dajiyuan that ten farms in their town had been affected by avian flu, but all poultry had been sold.
While Chinese media gives extensive coverage to avian flu outbreaks in other countries and promptly implements countermeasures, such as the recent announcement on preventing the entry of highly pathogenic avian flu from Puerto Rico, they have remained silent on the domestic situation in China.