BEIJING - China's Ministry of Agriculture on Monday confirmed an outbreak of bird flu at a village in Lhasa, Tibet autonomous region.

Laboratory tests showed that the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu killed 290 fowls raised by farmers in the Sangda village of Doilungdeqen county on December 2, said an official with the ministry who declined to be named.

The epidemic is under control and no abnormal physical conditions were reported in people who had close contact with the dead birds, said the official.

Authorities have sealed off and sterilized the infected area, where 1,575 fowls were culled and safely disposed of in order to prevent the disease from spreading.

Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a contagious disease of animal origin caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs. It can be fatal to humans.