#2052
Eleven years ago an outbreak of H5N1 avian flu occurred in Hong Kong, infecting 18 people and killing 6. This was the first time that the H5N1 virus had been known to infect humans.
At the urging of scientists, Hong Kong authorities destroyed every chicken in the territory, and the outbreak was halted. Many people believe that this bold action prevented a pandemic from erupting more than a decade ago.
After that, the H5N1 virus disappeared for five years, only to resurface in South East Asia in 2003.
Since 1997 Hong Kong has been very vigilant in their testing and surveillance, fearing a return of the virus. Occasionally they have found a migratory bird with the virus, but their poultry has been virus free.
Until now.
This report from the AP.
Jun 7, 6:09 AM EDT
Hong Kong slaughters 2,700 poultry after detecting bird flu in market
By DIKKY SINN
Associated Press Writer
HONG KONG (AP) -- Hong Kong health workers slaughtered 2,700 poultry in a market Saturday after chickens were found to be carrying the dangerous H5N1 bird flu virus, officials said.
The slaughter may be extended to all live poultry in the territory if the virus is detected in any other locations, Secretary for Food and Health York Chow said.
"Since we have detected the virus in the market, we will cull all the chickens in this market," Chow told reporters. "If we find another positive detection in another market, then we will assume that the risk is much higher and we need to cull all the chickens in all the markets."
Hong Kong TV Cable showed health workers wearing protective gear placing live poultry from nine stalls into bags to prepare for the slaughter.
Routine bird flu checks detected the H5N1 virus in five samples of chicken waste. The samples were collected June 3 from three vendors in the market in the Sham Shui Po residential district, Chow said.
Health officials declared the market an infected area and suspended all sales of live poultry there, a government statement said.
Chow said authorities were tracing the origin of the infected chickens.
