China's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) confirmed Sunday a new outbreak of bird flu in Lhasa, southwestern Tibet Autonomous Region. The national bird flu laboratory confirmed that the H5N1 bird flu virus was found in poultry sold at a poultry wholesale market in Chengguan District of Lhasa on April 12.

Emergency measures have been taken and the epidemic has been brought under control, the MOA said in a brief notice, and 1,679 fowl were culled after the outbreak.

According to the local health department, no abnormalities were found among people in contact with the poultry, the ministry said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 20, 2009)