# 2060
What a difference a couple of days makes.
On Monday Hong Kong authorities were sounding the all-clear, saying that no other live markets tested positive for the virus.
Bird flu fears recede in Hong Kong as markets are given all-clear
Jun 9, 2008, 11:03 GMT
Hong Kong - Fears of a bird flu outbreak in Hong Kong were receding Monday after tests on all markets in the city of 6.9 million failed to find further traces of the H5N1 virus.
That was then. This is now.
Hong Kong bird flu find prompts mass slaughter
HONG KONG (AP) -- Hong Kong officials say they plan to slaughter all live poultry in the territory's street markets after detecting the dangerous H5N1 bird flu virus.
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Director Cheung Siu-hing said tests returned Wednesday showed birds infected in four markets.
Cheung has not said how many birds will be killed. She says the virus has not been detected in samples from local chicken farms and distribution centers.
Health workers killed 2,700 poultry on Saturday in a market after routine testing showed five chickens were infected with the virus.
The government has also temporarily banned supplies of all live poultry from mainland China and local farms.
Of particular concern is that these infected birds were discovered by routine testing, that no unusual bird die offs had been reported, raising the specter that these birds are asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
