Hong Kong authorities have destroyed 16 000 chickens..

[Guest guest]

28 Dec 2002

ProMED-mail <promed

Source: Reuters via Swiss info, 28 Dec 2002 [edited]

<http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=143 & sid=1540255>

 

 

Hong Kong culls chickens to halt " bird flu "

---------------------------

Hong Kong authorities have destroyed 16 000 chickens and stopped imports

of

the bird from China until New Year's Eve in an effort to prevent a

repeat

of a fatal " bird flu " which killed 6 people in the city in 1997.

 

The cull was carried out at a poultry farm in northern, rural New

Territories, after more than 1000 chickens were found dead there earlier

on

Sat, 28 Dec 2002.

 

On Friday, a dozen birds tested at the farm in the Ta Kwu Ling area were

 

found to have been infected with avian flu virus, the government said in

a

statement. A government spokesman also said chicken imports from

mainland

China would be halted until 31 Dec 2002 so that it could shut a poultry

wholesale market for cleansing and disinfection. The infected farm had

earlier made deliveries to the market.

 

" To minimise the risk on the possible spreading of the virus, we need to

 

thoroughly cleanse the wholesale market to eliminate (any) virus that

might

exist there, " the spokesman said.

 

The cull was the largest since earlier this year when the government

slaughtered some 900 000 chickens after the third major bird flu

outbreak.

 

The congested territory of 6.8 million people has been hit by 3 major

bird

flu outbreaks in the last 5 years, each time leading to massive culls.

In

1997 and 2001, Hong Kong's entire chicken population of over one million

 

birds were slaughtered.

 

 

 

 

 

Fri, 27 Dec 2002

ProMED-mail <promed

Source: Hoovers on line, 23 Dec 2002 [edited]

<http://hoovnews.hoovers.com/fp.asp?layout=displaynews & doc_id=NR20021223

6>

 

 

Hong Kong steps up vaccinations against bird flu

----

The government is stepping up its programme of vaccination in the battle

 

against H5 avian influenza. The expanded vaccination effort will cover

all

chicken farms within 5 km of Pak Sha [in the eastern New Territories].

 

This will increase the number of vaccinated farms to 80. The

Agriculture,

Fisheries and Conservation Department says this will give it access to

more

data to evaluate the effectiveness of vaccine under local conditions.

 

--

ProMED-mail

<promed

 

[see also:

Avian influenza - China (Hong Kong) (12) 20021219.6092

Avian influenza - China (Hong Kong) (13) 20021222.6112

Influenza, avian - Italy: vaccination 20021225.6121]

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