Hong Kong to cull 15,000 chickens over imported H7N9 in poultry - contract tracing underway

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/12...over-bird-flu/

Hong Kong to cull 15,000 chickens over bird flu
Tue Dec 30, 2014 10:52PM GMT


Hong Kong authorities have announced that they will slaughter thousands of chickens in an effort to prevent an outbreak of bird flu in the city.

Authorities will cull 15,000 chickens following the discovery of the deadly H7N9 virus in poultry imported from mainland China,? Hong Kong's Health Minister Ko Wing-man said Wednesday morning.

?The department will take measures to destroy a total of 15,000 number of live chickens at the Cheung Sha Wan market starting this morning,? Ko told reporters.

The facility will then be closed for three weeks for ?comprehensive disinfection,? Ko said, adding that imports from the mainland have been suspended.

A batch of chickens imported from the nearby Chinese city of Huizhou tested positive for the virus through a ?rapid testing? program.

The tests were carried out after a previous batch of chickens from the same area tested positive for the H7 strain of the virus...

[sharon sanders]

31 December 2014

Update on contact tracing for imported live chickens positive for avian influenza A(H7)

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (December 31) reported the latest updates on contact tracing after samples of live chickens imported from the Mainland tested positive for avian influenza A(H7) virus, and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel. In collaboration with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the CHP's epidemiological investigations have so far identified one close contact who is a poultry worker at Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market (CSWTWPM), and 77 other contacts including a lorry driver who transported the involved consignment of live chickens, poultry workers and staff at CSWTWPM and Man Kam To Animal Inspection Station, and workers involved in the poultry culling operation. The CHP is tracing these contacts and will monitor their health conditions. Among them, a member of staff at CSWTWPM developed sore throat and his specimen tested negative for influenza A virus. "Enhanced surveillance of suspected human cases in public and private hospitals is ongoing," a spokesman for the CHP remarked. "Poultry workers, who have prolonged exposure to live poultry, might have higher risks of contracting the virus from infected poultry and hence increased risks of genetic reassortment of the virus. Poultry workers have been recommended by the CHP's Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases as one of the priority groups and have been covered in the Government Vaccination Programme under which they are eligible for free influenza vaccination. We advise them to get vaccinated early as it is one of the effective means to prevent influenza-associated complications and hospitalisations," the spokesman added. Letters to doctors and hospitals will be issued to alert them to the latest situation. The National Health and Family Planning Commission and the health authorities of Guangdong and Macau have been informed. Poultry workers and cullers in doubt may call the CHP's avian influenza hotline (2125 1111) for enquiries and it operates from 9am to 6pm. Ends/Wednesday, December 31, 2014 http://www.chp.gov.hk/en/view_content/37661.html