Chinese cities suspend live poultry trade on bird flu fears

Health officers set up a marquee as they cull poultry at a wholesale market, as trade in live poultry suspended after a spot check at a local street market revealed the presence of H7N9 bird flu virus, in Hong Kong June 7, 2016. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

BEIJING (Reuters) - An outbreak of a deadly bird flu virus in China's central Hunan province has prompted authorities to put a temporary bar on the sale of live poultry in several cities, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Five people have died in Hunan from the H7N9 avian influenza strain since the start of the year, and 20 have been infected, the provincial centre for disease control and prevention said late on Tuesday.