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Bird flu comes back
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MORE than 6,000 chickens were slaughtered and poultry stalls at three markets closed on Wednesday as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Government moved to prevent a repeat of the deadly bird flu outbreak of 1997.
The action was prompted by the deaths of 797 chickens --- between Tuesday and midday Wednesday --- at three markets. This is the first time in four years that so many chickens have died from the H5N1 virus.
Memories still fresh
Memories of the last, deadly, outbreak of bird flu are still strong in Hong Kong.
In December, 1997, the SAR Government ordered the slaughter of more than 1.3 million chickens to wipe out the deadly H5N1 virus.
More than 1,000 government workers were involved in the mass slaughter at 1,000 markets and 160 farms, an operation that cost HK$30 million (US$3.86 million.
Chicken sales drop
Chicken sales in Hong Kong went into free fall yesterday. Wholesalers estimated that sales were down by 30 per cent
“There is an obvious drop in people buying chickens," a vendor at a market in the downtown district of Wanchai.
“There are fewer people coming in to buy chicken. I think they are afraid for their health."
“I will only buy chickens when there is no more bird flu virus," said a housewife at another market, in North Point.
Don't panic: official
Local health authorities say the virus responsible for the latest outbreak is of a different strain to the 1997 virus and should not affect humans.
Secretary for Environment and Food Lily Yam Kwan Pui-ying urged people not to panic. She said gene tests showed that the goose-type H5N1 virus strain would not affect humans as it was a different strain to that which killed six people in 1997.
“Nonetheless, we feel that it is essential for us to take precautionary measures," Mrs Yam said, noting that flu viruses had a tendency to mix with each other to mutate into a deadly strain that could affect humans, as happened in 1997.
“I have to reiterrate that there is no cause for public concern at this stage. This is a precautionary measure. The indication is there is no evidence that these viruses can affect human beings. Of course, the public is reminded to observe the usual hygiene standards."
Stall owners to be compensated
A total of 6,608 chickens had been slaughtered by Wednesday night at 37 poultry stalls at Yeung Uk Road market in Tsuen Wan, Fa Yuen Street in Mongkok and Smithfield Road in Kennedy Town, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported yesterday.
These stalls will remain closed for up to three weeks to be cleansed and disinfected, the paper said. The destroyed birds were sent to a landfill.
Eighty-five stall workers and owners were being monitored for flu-like symptoms.
The SAR Government said it would compensate stall owners for each chicken slaughtered.
Source hard to trace
Howard Wong, acting senior veterinary officer, told reporters that no more chickens had been slaughtered yesterday and efforts were being made to trace the source of the infection.
“The birds have been mixed. All these markets sell a mixture of imported and local birds so we will not necessarily ever find the real source of this virus," he said.
The government would gather as much information as possible by visiting wholesalers to find out where they buy their birds, Wong said.
However, “what we know is that at the moment our local farms are clean. We have a very, very intensive surveillance programme on local farms," he said.
Wong added it would be “difficult to find the source in any case because of the nature of the business --- the fact that you have local and imported birds, the source could be anywhere really."(SD-Agencies)
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