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Hong Kong (dpa) - A wild bird found dead in urban Hong Kong has tested positive for the avian flu virus, government officials confirmed Thursday.
The bird, discovered in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong island, is the first this winter to be discovered in Hong Kong with the virus which has killed 157 people mainly in Asia since 2003.
Dr Thomas Sit of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, said tests on the bird revealed it had died of the H5N1 virus and that it could signal the start of the bird flu season in Hong Kong.
"I would suspect, as would many animal health authorities in the world, that migratory birds may be the first to carry the virus and then infect wild birds," he said.
He said doctors had been asked to watch for possible human cases while his staff would step up monitoring of the wild bird population.
The bird, discovered in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong island, is the first this winter to be discovered in Hong Kong with the virus which has killed 157 people mainly in Asia since 2003.
Dr Thomas Sit of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, said tests on the bird revealed it had died of the H5N1 virus and that it could signal the start of the bird flu season in Hong Kong.
"I would suspect, as would many animal health authorities in the world, that migratory birds may be the first to carry the virus and then infect wild birds," he said.
He said doctors had been asked to watch for possible human cases while his staff would step up monitoring of the wild bird population.
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