bird flu outbreak: HK official

HK食物及缳生局局長周一嶽宣布，鑑於廣東番禺已確診鴨子感染Ｈ5Ｎ1禽流感個案，本港由即日起，暫停輸入疫區24公里半徑範圍以內農場的活禽鳥、雞苗、禽蛋、冰鮮及冷藏禽肉，為期21天。

他估計，受影響的農場約20家，但未能確實供港的活雞數字；並表示，為謹慎起見，同時暫停從廣東省輸入冰鮮和冷藏鴨鵝及鵝鴨蛋，為期1周；以及取消中秋節增加進口活雞的安排。

他今天（9月17日）傍晚會見傳媒時表示，已接獲國家農業部通報，廣東省廣州市番禺區新造鎮的疑似鴨子感染Ｈ5Ｎ1禽流感個案已獲確診，故由即日起暫停輸入疫區24公里半徑範圍以內農場的活禽鳥、雞苗、禽蛋、冰鮮及冷藏禽肉，為期21天。

周一嶽強調，暫停進口的安排是預防性措施，內地供港的家禽及其產品，至今沒有發現任何問題。 他表示，根據國際慣例，在爆發禽流感後，疫區範圍一般是8公里，現已擴大至24公里，以策安全。

食物環境缳生署將聯同廣東出入境檢驗檢疫局人員，視察廣東省部分仍繼續供應活雞往香港的家禽農場，確保供港雞隻的食用安全。

周一嶽表示，有關當局每天與農業部和廣東檢疫局聯絡，了解疫情發展；若當地疫情有變，將因應情況，調整暫停進口的安排。

漁農自然護理署和食物環境缳生署將加強巡查本地活家禽農場、批發和零售市場，以及加強在文錦渡對內地入口雞隻的監測。 香港海關、警方、漁護署、食環署及內地相關當局，繼續致力堵截非法入口禽鳥活動；缳生署則加強旅客的健康教育，在入境口岸播放健康忠告，並派發健康單張。

醫院管理局表示，根據流感大流行應變計劃，公立醫院仍然維持「戒備應變級別」；因應廣東省養鴨場出現禽流感疫情，各公立醫院正密切留意禽流感疑似個案，並保持高度警覺，嚴格執行感染控制措施。

中國農業部今天公布，廣東省廣州市番禺區9月5日發生的疑似高致病性禽流感疫情，國家禽流感參考實驗室已確診為Ｈ5Ｎ1亞型禽流感。截至今天，已累計撲殺銷毀36,130隻鴨子。

農業部的專家組與當地獸醫部門的調查顯示，疫區周邊地區和其他地區，未有發現異常情況。

China confirms bird flu outbreak: HK official

9 hours ago

HONG KONG (AFP) — China's agricultural ministry has confirmed an outbreak of bird flu among ducks in the south of the country, Hong Kong's health secretary announced Monday.

The ministry said Saturday that 9,830 ducks had died in a village outside the southern city of Guangzhou, not far from the border with Hong Kong, between September 5 and 13.

Hong Kong Health Secretary York Chow told reporters late Monday, citing the Chinese ministry, that the ducks had tested positive for the H5N1 strain of the virus.

Chow said the former British colony had immediately slapped a 21-day ban on imports of all live poultry, eggs and chilled or frozen meat from farms near the affected area on the mainland.

A ban on the import of such products from Guangdong province will remain in effect for a week, Chow said.

About 100,000 ducks were culled by local officials on Monday in a bid to keep the outbreak from spreading to other districts, Hong Kong media reported.

Bird flu has so far infected at least 25 people in China, including 16 who later died.

China conducted a huge campaign last year to contain the disease, slaughtering tens of thousands of poultry and stepping up public education efforts.

Yu Yedong, director of the Guangdong Animal Epidemic Prevention Centre, told the Standard, a Hong Kong newspaper, that the ducks had been vaccinated against the virus.

He added a first vaccination was only 65 percent effective and the birds needed a second to make it 90 percent effective. Yu told the paper he believed the birds were infected after the first vaccination.

Ho Pak-leung, an expert in infectious diseases at Hong Kong University, told the Standard there were fears the virus had now mutated.

H5N1 has killed 200 people and ravaged poultry flocks worldwide since 2003, according to the World Health Organisation.

Scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form easily spread among humans, leading to a global pandemic with the potential to kill millions.