Ducks are seen at a poultry farm in Funan County, east China's Anhui province, Jul 2007

China has confirmed an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu among ducks in southern Guangdong province.

Hong Kong's health secretary York Chow said Monday Chinese agriculture ministry officials confirmed that tests indicate the presence of H5N1 in Panyu district.

More than 9,000 ducks died on five farms in Panyu this month. More than 32,000 ducks were then culled to help contain the outbreak.

The area is near Hong Kong, where health officials Monday suspended imports of chilled and frozen duck and geese from Guangdong for one week.

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza is deadly to humans.

The World Health Organization reports there have been at least 25 human cases of avian flu confirmed in China in recent years, 16 of them fatal.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.