Pinglu County in north China's Shanxi Province sits along the Yellow River Wetland. It’s one of China's three major habitats for wild swans in winter. Over 4,000 wild swans call the area home for the season. On November 18, a wetland watchman found two dead swans and immediately sealed off the habitat. The National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory later confirmed the two dead birds were infected with H5N8, a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu. The wetland and nearby areas are now regularly disinfected. More personnel have been deployed to keep an eye on the habitat and swans.