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So far this year, more than a dozen wild bird have been found in Hong Kong, dead from the H5N1 virus. Now comes word that the virus has been detected at a live bird market.
Hong Kong market shuts amid bird flu fears
BIRD market in Hong Kong has been closed down amid fears of an avian flu outbreak after a starling tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of the disease.
Authorities said late Saturday the market, a popular tourist attraction, would be shut temporarily for thorough cleansing and disinfection and workers placed under medical surveillance.
All the birds at the pet shop where the starling was found have been taken away for testing.
Infectious diseases expert Lo Wing-Lok said the market was a "smoking gun.''
Around 60 percent of the H5 flu samples found in Hong Kong this year were discovered near the market, he told the South China Morning Post.
Hong Kong was the scene of the world's first reported major bird flu outbreak among humans in 1997, when six people died.Authorities said they had stepped up their surveillance of the area surrounding the market after several birds found dead tested positive for the deadly flu strain.
A health department spokesman warned the public to be on alert.
"They should avoid personal contact with wild birds and live poultry and clean their hands thoroughly after coming into contact with them,'' he said.
