HK culls some chickens to prevent deadly bird flu
Date: 19-Dec-02
Country: CHINA
The cull came after roughly 20 chickens were found dead earlier at a
poultry stall in Mui Wo Market on outlying Lantau island, the
government said, adding that its laboratory had found the dead birds
to be infected with avian flu viruses.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said in a statement the
poultry stall, which already has been cleaned and disinfected, would
be shut on Thursday.
"The situation in Mui Wo has not been discovered in other retail
outlets. Operators however must remain vigilant," said a spokesman for
the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
Last week, health workers killed 50 waterfowl at a public park after
avian flu viruses were found in two dead geese.
The government has said an H5N1 bird flu virus was found in some
chickens from five markets over the past three months but said the
strain was not the same as the deadly variety that hit the territory
in 1997.
Hong Kong is entering its peak flu season and is especially sensitive
to any suggestion of a replay of the 1997 tragedy, when the avian
virus made the unusual jump to humans.
The congested territory of 6.8 million people has been hit by three
major bird flu outbreaks in the last five years, each time leading to
massive culls.
This year, some 900,000 chickens were destroyed and in 1997 and 2001,
Hong Kong's entire chicken population of over one million birds was
slaughtered.
