Photo Credit – FAO
# 8065
The headline (below) from Friday morning’s edition of the South China Morning Post (SCMP) only tells part of the story, as for most of the poultry markets in Shenzhen, this is only a 1 day closure to allow time for disinfection. The two markets where positive H7N9 samples were gathered last Sunday will face a week-long shutdown, for culling of birds, and sterilization.
Shenzhen poultry markets shut down amid H7N9 bird flu fears
Deadly bird flu strain had been found at both premises in Shenzhen
While certainly better than no shutdown at all, if the virus has become endemic in farmed poultry (see Remarks by Dr. Guan Yi this morning), then the benefits of disinfection will diminish once the next infected bird is brought to market. Other (Chinese language) media reports indicate that stepped up cleaning and disinfection of market stalls will be required going forward.
While Hong Kong continues to import poultry from other parts of Mainland China, Dr. Ko Wing-man is asking that more sensitive tests be run on poultry before they are shipped. SCMP quotes the SFH as saying:
"The plasma test is more sensitive than the quick [genetic] test we are now conducting on live chicken," he said. "It will be more accurate in testing any birds that have come into contact with the virus, even if the bird itself is not a carrier or infected case."
University of Hong Kong microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung believes it is necessary to use the plasma test.
Although most experts believe that exposure to infected live birds is the most likely route of human infection, the lack of conclusive proof to that effect, and the high economic stakes involved in restricting the poultry trade, is making it difficult for officials to clamp down too hard when the number of human cases remains low.
