Photo Credit – FAO
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While Hong Kong has recently detected two human infections from the H7N9 virus – both with recent travel history to Shenzhen in neighboring Guangdong Province – up until now Mainland officials have denied finding the virus in Shenzhen’s live bird markets. Complicating matters, birds infected with H7N9 usually appear perfectly healthy.
As such, these lucrative markets have remained open, despite the suspicions that they may have been the source of one, or both, of these infections.
Today Hong Kong’s government was informed by Guangdong’s Health and Family Planning Commission (HFPC) that recent testing has finally revealed three H7N9 positive test results from two different markets in Shenzhen. This from info.gov.hk.
CHP's response to media enquiries on notification from Guangdong HFPC
In response to media enquiries on the notification from the Health and Family Planning Commission (HFPC) of Guangdong Province, a spokesman for the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (December 11) gave the following reply:
The CHP received notification this evening from the Guangdong HFPC that among the 70 environmental samples collected from 13 live poultry markets in Shenzhen, three samples collected from two live poultry markets in Longgang tested positive for the avian influenza A(H7N9) virus.The CHP will continue to maintain liaison with the Mainland health authorities to monitor the latest developments.
Ends/Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Issued at HKT 19:45
At this point, I’ve seen no announcements on the fate of live markets in Shenzhen.
While contact with poultry is currently considered to be the most likely route of human infection, we’ve seen a good deal of resistance to the closing of live markets in China. Poultry is one of the few relatively inexpensive, and readily available, sources of protein for his country of 1.3 billion people.
Massive culling to rid themselves of the infection would be a drastic, and very unpopular, course of action. It could even be politically destabilizing.
For the Ministry of Agriculture, which is responsible for the largest poultry production on earth (estimated at 15 billion birds), having a silent but (potentially) deadly virus circulating among the nation’s poultry industry has to be nothing short of a political and economic nightmare.
So we tend to see compromises – like the temporary shutdowns of live markets last April in affected provinces, and the proposal from Shanghai To Close Poultry Markets Over Lunar New Years To Curtail H7N9.
As if the risk of bird flu infection were not enough, this morning there are reports of a deadly fire sweeping through a Shenzhen farmer’s market, killing at least 15 people.
16 killed, 5 others injured in China market blaze
At least 16 people were killed and 5 others injured in a major fire at a market in south China's Shenzhen city on Wednesday, state media said.
The fire engulfed the Rongjiyan Agricultural Wholesale Market in Gongming New District of Shenzhen bordering Hong Kong at about 1 am local time, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
It took nearly two hours for 145 fire fighters and 29 fire engines to put out the fire. It damaged an area of 1,000 square meters, the report said.
The cause of the fire is at this point undisclosed. China has a history of lax safety precautions, and some tragic fires, including a mall fire in 2000 that claimed nearly 400 lives.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s CHP continues to issue the following warnings:
"Travellers, especially those returning from avian influenza A(H7N9)-affected areas and provinces, with fever or respiratory symptoms are reminded to immediately wear facial masks, seek medical attention and reveal their travel history to doctors. Health-care professionals should also pay special attention to patients who might have had contact with birds, poultry or their droppings in affected areas and provinces," the spokesman advised.
The spokesman also urged travellers not to visit live poultry markets in the affected areas and provinces and avoid direct contact with poultry, birds and their droppings. If contact has been made, they should thoroughly wash their hands with soap and water.
Members of the public should remain vigilant and are reminded to take heed of the following preventive advice against avian influenza:
* Poultry and eggs should be thoroughly cooked before eating;
* Wash hands frequently with soap, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes, handling food or eating; after going to the toilet or touching public installations or equipment such as escalator handrails, elevator control panels or door knobs; or when hands are dirtied by respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing;
* Cover the nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing, and hold the spit with a tissue and put it into a covered dustbin;
* Avoid crowded places and contact with fever patients; and
* Wear a mask when respiratory symptoms develop or when taking care of fever patients.
