18 May 2001
There has been an increase in the number of deaths of
poultry from influenza A(H5N1) virus in
additional retail live-bird poultry markets (see previous report)
in Hong Kong SAR.
As a result, the Government of Hong Kong SAR has announced
that all wholesale and retail markets
selling chickens will be closed and the birds will be destroyed. Retail outlets for
live chickens will
remain closed for 4 weeks. Farms with live chickens ready for slaughter will be
depopulated within the next
two weeks. Importation of chickens from the Mainland has been stopped.
No human cases of influenza A(H5N1) virus have been
detected. The strains isolated from the birds
differ genetically from the H5N1 virus which caused human disease in 1997. There is
no cause for
public health concern.
Click on the website of the Government of Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region of China.
for further information.