"An outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N6 bird flu took place at a farm in Xichong County of the Nanchong urban district in Sichuan Province", the ministry said in a statement.
Out of 2,497 domestic birds 1,840 were infected and died. The local authorities have undertaken all necessary measures to prevent the spread of the virus, including culling over 2,260 birds.
Earlier in the month, the ministry reported an outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu in the Shuangqing district of Shaoyang, located in Hunan Province.
The viral strain of H5N1 has reportedly killed dozens across the globe over the last several decades. An outbreak of the bird flu was reported in 2009-2010 and again in 2013-2014. Both times, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the international community made a concerted effort to contain the spread of the dangerous infection.
According to medics, the bird flu - first discovered among avian species in Southeast Asia - is a highly contagious type of influenza virus that can be easily transmitted among humans. Unlike the current epidemic of the Wuhan coronavirus, however, the so-called bird flu is curable as the WHO developed a vaccine against this type of infection.
