"Over 3.5 million birds have been destroyed or are in the process of being culled since the first incidence of bird flu infection was reported on November 12," the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture said on Thursday.

The H5N1 strain has also been detected in infected poultry in areas around Riyadh as well as the pigeon market south of the city.

The ministry has banned live poultry imports following an outbreak in March. It has also urged people to refrain from hunting migrant birds, which it said was the main source of the infection.

No cases of human infection with the deadly virus have yet been reported in the country.