:.H5N1+ WILD BIRD IN HONG KONG:.:

[HenryN]

Re: :.H5N1+ WILD BIRD IN HONG KONG:.:

<TABLE class=ap-story-table style="veritcal-align: :top" border=0><TBODY><TR class=ap-story-tr><TD class=ap-story-td>Feb 14, 3:02 AM EST


Dead gray heron in Hong Kong tests positive for bird flu

</TD></TR><TR><TD>HONG KONG (AP) -- A dead gray heron found in Hong Kong tested positive for the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu, the third such case this year in the territory, the government said Thursday.
Tests confirmed the bird had the H5N1 virus after it was discovered near the territory's border with mainland China last Friday, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said in a statement.
The gray heron is a water bird that frequently visits Hong Kong in the winter.
The city's famed Mai Po bird sanctuary and aviaries in popular Ocean Park were closed for three weeks in late January after two bird carcasses found nearby were infected with the virus.
An oriental magpie robin found Monday in a wholesale food market was also suspected of having died from bird flu. Further tests were being conducted.
Last year, Hong Kong discovered 21 wild birds with H5N1, but the territory has not suffered a major outbreak of the disease since 1997, when the virus killed six people, prompting the government to slaughter the entire poultry population of about 1.5 million birds.
At least 226 people have died worldwide from avian flu since late 2003, according to the World Health Organization. Most cases have been linked to contact with infected birds, but health officials believe limited human-to-human transmission has occurred among some family members in close contact.

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_GEN_HONG_KONG_BIRD_FLU_ASOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-02-14-03-02-57

[HenryN]

Re: :.H5N1+ WILD BIRD IN HONG KONG:.:

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02140801/H5N1_HK_WB_More.html

[sharon sanders]

Re: :.H5N1+ WILD BIRD IN HONG KONG:.:

HONG KONG
Authorities said Friday that a wild bird found dead in Hong Kong has tested positive for the dangerous H5N1 bird flu virus strain -- the territory's second case in two days.
The dead oriental magpie robin, native to Asia, was found at a food market Sunday according to a statement from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.
It was Hong Kong's fourth announcement of an H5N1 case in a bird this year, and came a day after authorities said a gray heron tested positive for the virus.
Last year Hong Kong discovered 21 wild birds with H5N1 but has not suffered a major outbreak of the disease since the virus killed six people in 1997, prompting the government to slaughter the territory's entire poultry population of about 1.5 million birds.
At least 226 people have died of bird flu worldwide since late 2003, according to the World Health Organization. Most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds, but health experts worry the virus could mutate into a form that passes easily among humans, sparking a pandemic.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8UQRJ700.htm

[sharon sanders]

Re: :.H5N1+ WILD BIRD IN HONG KONG:.:

HONG KONG: Another heron found with bird flu - 18/02/2008


Five years after avian influenza broke out across Asia, the region is still struggling to stop the virus spread. Not least in Hong Kong, where officials say another grey heron has been found dead and tested positive for the fatal H 5 N 1 strain of bird flu.



ABBANY: When it comes to avian influenza, the grey heron is one of those dreaded things: a bird that moves around. Described by the South China Morning Post as a 'common winter visitor to Hong Kong', this latest dead grey heron shows how difficult it is to stop the virus spread. Birds -- by their very nature -- fly where ever they want to. But whether they're native or just visiting, the birds are forcing Hong Kong to act.

DVD TRACK: [music] Hong Kong is a well-known culinary paradise and also one of the busiest transportation hubs in the world. Any epidemic outbreak would seriously impact this place.

ABBANY: Health experts are already saying that avian influenza is endemic in many bird populations in Southeast Asia. Bird flu affects wild and commercial birds, and there are almost regular cases of both birds and people dying from the H-5-N-1 strain in places like Indonesia and Vietnam. It's recognised as a world-wide problem, but on a national level, it's best handled by the individual country or region.

DVD TRACK at 3'52-4'02: [music] Chickens must be imported via the animal inspection station at Man Kam To portal, and are randomly sampled and tested for avian flue systems.

ABBANY: To help spread the word about bird flu, rather than the virus itself, Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, or A-C-F-D, has produced this film you're hearing now. It explains that even imported poultry from the mainland is checked where the two territories meet. But the DVD's light-footed backing track rather belies the seriousness of the problem, or perhaps it's an appeal to calm. Dr Mary Chow is a senior veterinary officer with the A-C-F-D.

DR MARY CHOW (chow1): The biggest threat we believe is the chance of people getting contact with a huge amount of poultries. So it would be in retail or wholesale. For farms, if they are in certain remote area they not necessarily to have a lot of public contact to the farm so it's not considered to be that great in risk. That's why we want to reduce the total amount of poultry in Hong Kong so people get less contact with poultry in retail site.

ABBANY: To achieve that, Hong Kong is going to the source. It's been asking poultry farmers to close their farms voluntarily -- in return for a lump sum of cash. And so far it's proved successful -- partly because many farmers are approaching retirement, but also, says to Dr Chow, because the younger generations are moving to the city rather than going into farming themselves. It's a major cultural shift. Not only in terms of employment, but also in terms of the food people eat. And it's a shift that Dr Mary Chow says started after the first case of bird flu in Hong Kong in 1997.

DR MARY CHOW : I believe after 1997 people are adjusting themselves. On the one hand they want to maintain the cultural eating habit and on the other hand they are also aware of the risk, so they are switching to chilled products or frozen products. And in the young generation they may not be able to tell the difference between chilled products and fresh products. But there's always a group of people that can tell the difference and they are sustaining the existence of fresh poultry markets.

SFX: Bird garden ...

ABBANY: Protecting Hong Kong against bird flu is a daily process -- at farms and at the city's bird gardens. Like this one at Mong Kok. The bird garden is a meeting place, where people observe other peoples' pets, and where you can buy new ones, too. Matthew Cheung is a field officer, who does regular tests on the birds here.

MATTHEW CHEUNG: Maybe in old Hong Kong the birds are entertainment, so you can see elder people come here to see other to listen to bird sounds here.

ABBANY: But bird locations like this are almost routinely, temporally shut because of bird flu fears. The shop owners are compensated, but it's still bad for business.

BIRD GARDEN SHOP OWNER: [fade up sfx] We feel very sad when they close the bird garden because we can't do business. We lose money.

ABBANY: The Hong Kong's government is having to ensure both the public's health and its livelihood. And it will do it only if the public is on its side.

DVD TRACK: [music] Members of the public may report any sick birds showing symptoms of the disease or bird carcasses via the citizens' easy link 1-8-2-3. All imported pet birds should be quarantined and health checks in the exporting country before shipping. A valid animal health certificate must be presented at the time of entry into Hong Kong. After arrival, A-F-C-D officers will randomly.

Presenter - Zulfikar Abbany Speaker - Senior Veterinary officer with Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Dr Mary Chow; Field officer, Matthew Cheung

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/connectasia/stories/s2165394.htm