Bird flu is spreading in China and Taiwan as well as some parts of Europe. (Photo : Getty Images)
Another strain of the H7N9 virus hit major Chinese cities and authorities discovered that about 30 percent of poultry was infected with the virus.
The provincial government of Zhejiang ordered the stoppage of operations of markets and trade of chickens over the weekend because of fears of contamination of avian flu. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention ordered other cities to do the same.
According to the provincial Health and Family Planning Commission, there were 35 infections reported with bird flu in January. The commission in Guangdong released a health warning to avoid contact with poultry.
A report was recently released by the commission that one-third of Guangzhou's poultry being sold in the market is infected with avian flu.
During the winter months, there were 30 who died due to the avian flu. There were also outbreaks reported in South Korea and Japan.
There were 106 cases of human infections in December in China. Many residents and chicken producers sanitized cages and have culled over 175,000 chickens to stop the spread of the disease.
In 2013, there were 36 people who died because of avian flu. The outbreak led to 6 billion dollars worth of damages.
Beijing is joining the closure of markets and has issued warnings to the public due to the rising incidents of infection.
There are 20 patients who were diagnosed with the disease and 11 of whom already died.
Public health warnings were disseminated via text messages and urging the public from contact with poultry.
The warning stated, "Civilians should avoid dense and polluted public venues and minimize contact with poultry, especially dead ones."
Other areas affected are Changsa, five out of 24 have already died. Hubei has recorded 19 cases, while four in Sichuan, and 11 in Fujian.
In the Saga Prefecture in Japan, 69,000 chickens were culled because of the spread of the virus. There were reported cases in Taiwan as well.
Incidents of infection were also recorded in the United Kingdom, Slovakia, France, and Germany. In Italy, there was one reported case.
