Mexico has activated a national animal health emergency plan after an outbreak of bird flu affected nearly 1.7 million poultry.
Under the plan, strict controls have been placed on the transport of poultry, poultry products and other animals. The emergency plan also includes provisions for quarantine, slaughter, vaccination, and the destruction of infected products.
The H7N3 flu was identified in two municipalities in the state of Jalisco. According the agricultural ministry, more than half of the infected birds were culled or have died.
According to UN, while the H7N3 virus has occasionally led to human disease in various parts of the world, it has not shown itself to be easily transmittable between humans.
Health officials have been closely watching for new viruses in Mexico since 2009, when an outbreak of H1N1 virus, known as 'swine flu' spread into a global pandemic that claimed the lives of 17,000 people.
Meanwhile, in a similar development, a bird flu outbreak has been reported in Xinjiang region in China. The authorities have culled more than 150,000 chickens, and quarantined the area along with its infected bird in order to control the virus.
