Hong Kong culls some waterfowl to prevent deadly avian flu

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http://asia.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=topnews & StoryID=1887222

 

Hong Kong culls some waterfowl to prevent deadly avian

flu

 

11 December, 2002 18:48 GMT+08:00

 

By Carrie Lee

 

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong health workers killed

waterfowl at a public park on Tuesday evening in an

effort to prevent a repeat of a fatal avian flu

outbreak which killed six people here in 1997.

 

Fifty ducks and geese in a garden at Shatin racecourse

were killed after avian flu viruses were found in two

dead geese, a spokeswoman for the Agriculture,

Fisheries and Conservation Department told Reuters on

Wednesday. She said the particular strain of bird flu

virus had not yet been identified.

 

A spokeswoman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene

Department said an H5N1 bird flu virus was also found

in some chickens from five markets over the past three

months but she said the strain was not the same as the

deadly variety that struck the territory in 1997.

 

Hong Kong is entering its peak flu season and is

especially sensitive to any suggestion of a replay of

the 1997 tragedy, when the avian virus made the

unusual jump to humans.

 

The congested territory of 6.8 million people has been

hit by three major bird flu outbreaks in the last five

years, each time leading to massive culls.

 

This year, some 900,000 chickens were destroyed and in

1997 and 2001, Hong Kong's entire chicken population

of over one million birds was slaughtered.

 

Only the 1997 outbreak was known to affect humans.

 

While avian flu viruses exist naturally in wild

waterfowl, microbiological experts say

cross-contamination of H5 viruses among poultry could

result in new strains that may infect humans, although

the chances of this happening are not considered high.

 

 

" When it spreads to humans, it will be a new strain

and humans' immunity to it will be weak. That will

result in serious illness, such as serious pneumonia, "

said Paul Chan, microbiology associate professor at

Chinese University.

 

Yeoh Eng Kiong, secretary for Health, Welfare and

Food, played down fears of any bird flu outbreak

affecting humans despite the presence of flu viruses

in poultry markets.

 

" We have only occasionally found isolated samples

infected with bird flu in one or two markets every

month, " he told reporters. " Most chickens are very

healthy and there have been no massive deaths... We

don't think there is a problem. "

 

In wet markets, chicken lovers were apparently

undaunted.

 

" I like eating chicken. There should be no problem. We

just need to cook it well, " said one woman.

 

 

 

 

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