_|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

[Commonground]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

Mong Kok stall owners: Napster ended March with 410,000 people smuggling selling chicken feet sources said cheap imports 20%
June 9, 2008

[Ming Pao - the avian flu reach our markets, many academics and the industry are attributed to the "smuggling of chicken", this reporter was then made to a number of market poultry stalls for traders in the markets in Mong Kok, the chicken stall operators Ms Chan admitted that criminals have repeatedly been lobbying purchased smuggling chickens, they told her that adequate supply of imported chickens in general bid was 20% cheaper, but each time refused to Ms Chan Hon.

She described the people who sell "official Tsai bone," they claimed that smuggling of chicken "to how many how many," but of unknown origin. She stressed that their own from the Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry wholesalers purchased the chickens, including Quang Nam Bank and Watson, will not buy chicken smuggling, the table "clean hands", she said could provide more documentation to allow journalists Reference.

Shekou pay the smuggling of chicken wholesalers

Reporter also on the smuggling of chicken for chicken traders to the other, they all insisted that he had not bought smuggled chickens, has not approached by people, but ask them to the source of chickens, some people have to prevaricate right, only that it would Many of the goods from wholesalers; chicken stalls in Kowloon City two of the stall owners even refused to answer, a request directly to wholesalers enquiries.

Some industry sources, a few months ago, chicken smuggling is a serious problem. He said that two months ago, customs and the department in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long area containing the intercepted 12 containers of chicken smuggling. He believes that the smuggling of chicken with the market price of chicken as legitimate, it difficult to distinguish between the public, but the profit is three times the legal chicken. General lawless elements from Shekou of Shenzhen into the chicken, then chicken to wholesalers, retailers may also be so innocent, but when the reporter asked again and wholesalers  the situation when he was reluctant to say more and more to Mobile phone power shortage because demand interrupted dialogue.

Scholars blasting materials suspected of involvement in smuggling of chicken disease

Hong Kong University microbiology Professor Yuen Kwok-yung also believe that this outbreak of avian flu cases, the largest chicken may be involved in the smuggling problem, in the past year, has a number of incidents of smuggling of live chickens, he accused smugglers "from the sun spectrum", in particular, Smuggling of chickens are often overcrowded, easy to illness.

Hong Kong Poultry Wholesalers Association, president of Mission Xu said, the problem of smuggling of chicken there is often due to the import of live chickens is in short supply, only 30,000 daily, exploited by criminals and the smuggling of live chickens and chicken post, can be beneficial Fig.

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[Commonground]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

Market rate of chickens infected immunity doubled down the risk of high explosive epidemic
June 9, 2008

[Ming Pao yesterday - the authorities have been sent to local and mainland farms investigation and inspection of all 64 markets selling live chickens, from a sample to know whether there are chickens explosion of bird flu, is expected to know the next one on the 2nd results, as to Availability of the outbreak of chicken stalls five Cheung Sha Wan wholesale column, because while the wholesale local and mainland chicken farms, in view of live chickens does not recognize the "identity", it difficult to identify infected chickens sources.

FEHD in 2004-2007, the chicken stalls in markets found to have the H9 avian influenza virus samples rate, multiples also soaring, 04 and 05 by only 0.7% and 1.5%, 2.2 to 06 percent, while As of July last year of 12 months, as a ratio of 5.3 percent, microbiologists have warned that the data reflect the decline in the markets of live chickens immunity, once the highly pathogenic H5 virus, the more explosive epidemic crisis.

AFCD Assistant Director of Xue Han pointed out that the Administration was aware of the trend, and the data can be as an indicator, if the virus is higher, may consider stepping up cleansing and improve health. At present, there has been sent to Hong Kong farms blood samples taken from chickens, understand their antibody levels, and understand whether it has collected stool with avian flu virus, the wholesale market will also strengthen the sample tests.

Tracking the source of alleged flawed system

However, Agriculture and Fisheries Members of the Legislative Council questioned Wong Yung-kan, the current system of tracking the source of live chickens is imperfect, markets burst epidemic fundamental points less than the local scene or the chicken, just "broad-brush" full ban, which has seriously affected the operations of industries . He said authorities may refer to the "quality of local fish" approach, coupled with chicken feet in the Central and includes code for tracking. However, the live chicken retailers that this law unreasonable, unless the provisions of local and mainland chickens kept separate cages, otherwise difficile sources.

Hong Kong Livestock Industry Association of chilled fashionable Chairman Guo said today they will be a corresponding increase in import of chilled chickens from 10% to 11 to 120,000, to meet market demand, the retail price of chilled chickens will not be expected to rise for about 13 yuan a The burden

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[Commonground]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

Caption:
Hong Kong markets found that the H5N1 avian flu virus case, shocked the community, the authorities have suspended imports of chickens from mainland China. Wholesalers of live chickens, the impact of the avian flu incident, a large number of chickens on the market only poor sales. (CNA)

Hong Kong people could色变chicken chicken unsalable 4 1000

[大纪元June 9 -鸡瘟to, since the Sham Shui Po On Road Market in Hong Kong have been found in the H5N1 avian influenza virus, the public and the chicken stalls are far from chicken Bihuo; on the 8th morning there were about 4,000 live chickens from the poor sales , Chairman of live poultry wholesalers of Mission Xu said, and retailers believe that the Government will slaughter of chickens and clean the markets early in the next day, so that retailers can not related to the shipment.

On Road Market three chicken stalls from the five swab samples and found that the H5N1 avian flu virus, the authorities had immediately enclosed markets, the total elimination of 2,700 mainland suspended the import of poultry and the longest 21 days. At the same time declared that if there is a market in the H5N1 avian influenza infection, will conduct a territory-wide slaughter of chickens.
Xu of Mission, as the market ahead of the Day Monday, traders also fear the future the Government will slaughter of chickens, did not dare to goods, wholesale prices from wholesale markets Yijin the past 16 yuan, to 11.5 yuan, there are still 4 1000 Did not sell chickens.
Kowloon Poultry Transporter and Industry Association, said Wang Deliang, unable to verify whether the avian flu found involved in smuggling of chicken, they think that because of the restrictions on the number of chickens to Hong Kong, resulting in increased chicken prices, unable to stop smuggling.

University of Hong Kong infection and infectious disease centre director Dr Bai Liang pointed out that the authorities could not immediately publish the results, to test on the 4th, to determine the samples with H5N1 missed the best time to guard against.

H5N1 Concern Group spokesman criticized Lo Wing-lok, Hong Kong has not found H5N1 in chickens for many years, authorities have relaxed or, if the tests and publish the results as soon as possible, the public is less risk of the disease.

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[Shiloh]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

Source: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/n...e_in_Hong_Kong_as_markets_are_given_all-clear

Bird flu fears recede in Hong Kong as markets are given all-clear
Jun 9, 2008, 11:03 GMT

Hong Kong - Fears of a bird flu outbreak in Hong Kong were receding Monday after tests on all markets in the city of 6.9 million failed to find further traces of the H5N1 virus.

The former British colony went on bird flu alert Saturday after swabs taken at a market in the Shamshuipo district found traces of the virus that led to a deadly outbreak in Hong Kong 11 years ago.

The market was closed down, chickens from mainland China were banned and tests were ordered on all poultry markets in the city, a move which saw the sales of chickens plunge 30 per cent Sunday.

However, the government announced Monday that no traces of the virus had been found at any other market in the city or in farms in Hong Kong or in southern China.

Assistant director for agriculture Thomas Sit said investigations into the source of the virus were continuing and customs officers were checking if affected chickens were smuggled into Hong Kong.

Workers in face masks and protective suits Saturday killed 2,700 chickens at an infected market in a chilling reminder of the bird culls in the city in the 1990s.

Hong Kong was home to the first modern case of bird flu to jump the species barrier and infect humans in 1997 when the H5N1 virus killed six people and infected 12 others.

Since then, thanks largely to stringent checks and mass culls when any cases are discovered, there have been no further cases of humans infected by bird flu in Hong Kong despite regional outbreaks.

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

Expert Warns Hong Kong Poultry Measures Inadequate

Posted on: Monday, 9 June 2008, 06:00 CDT

Text of report by Radio TV Hong Kong Radio 3 on 9 June

[Newsreader] Chicken traders have been given a temporary reprieve by the government and allowed to sell their remaining livestock - instead of culling them - after the bird flu virus was found in a local market. As Altis Wong reports, the traders were in a last- minute rush to try and sell their stock ahead of the monthly wet market clean-up which began at noon today [0400 gmt].

[Wong] The market clean-up day has been brought forward following the discovery of the H5N1 virus in three stalls in the Po On market in Sham Shui Po on Saturday [7 June]. All chicken traders have been asked to cull all their stocks to prepare for the clean-up. Some of them complained about the rescheduling of the cleansing day, which is usually slated for Wednesdays. The government has imposed a halt on chicken imports for 21 days in a bid to stop the spread of bird flu.

[Newsreader] Yesterday some 2,700 chickens were slaughtered at a market in Tsim Sha Tsui where sick birds were found. But an infectious-disease expert, Dr Lo Wing-lok, said the government action was too late.

[Lo] The government has deferred the control measures by two days by continuing to allow poultry sales in the retail market, in the wet markets [i.e. of live poultry] without at the same time knowing that the poultry on sale in the retail markets are safe. I believe that the measures are inadequate and may cause the virus to spread in the community.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1422903/expert_warns_hong_kong_poultry_measures_inadequate/

 

[Shiloh]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

Source: http://www.news.gov.hk/en/category/healthandcommunity/080609/html/080609en05002.htm
June 9, 2008
Avian flu
*
Local farms confirmed avian flu-free
*
Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department

The three local farms which supply chickens to Po On Road Market and Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market have been confirmed avian flu-free, Assistant Director of Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Dr Thomas Sit says.

He told reporters today Mainland authorities have confirmed chickens at six Mainland farms are normal.For local retail markets he said tests are underway, with some samples confirmed free of avian flu.

On chickens at Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market Dr Sit said they will be released after tests on all samples are confirmed to be virus free, adding test results may be available tonight.

Assistant Director of Food & Environmental Hygiene Chu Lan-ying said the ventilation system at Po On Road Market has been operating smoothly and cleaning will be arranged.

The Food & Health Bureau said Saturday's chicken cull was necessary to safeguard public health and curb the virus spread. Noting the move has affected the live poultry trade, the bureau will consider compensation requests.

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

Government responds on avian influenza case
June 9 2008, 13.52.50

In light of the presence of H5N1 avian influenza virus in environmental samples taken from Po On Road Market in Sham Shui Po during regular surveillance earlier, the Government has adopted special measures promptly to protect public health, a spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau said today (June 9).

"We understand the measures introduced would have some impact on the traders and we have received their request for compensation.

The Government will consider the traders' request before taking a decision later," the spokesman said.

The detection of avian influenza virus in Po On Road Market showed that the existing surveillance system has been working effectively to allow the Government to eliminate the virus, cleanse the markets and trace the source of the virus promptly so that the threat of the virus could be minimised, the spokesman added.

In addition, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and the Food and Environment Hygiene Department (FEHD) have been actively tracing the source of avian influenza virus found in the Po On Road Market.

From the invoices of the three affected stalls, FEHD staff have traced back to the wholesalers, then traced further so far to three local farms and six mainland registered farms which supply chickens to Hong Kong.

According to AFCD, there was no abnormality in the three local farms that supply chickens to the wholesalers involved.

The six Mainland registered farms were checked and so far the Mainland inspection and quarantine authorities confirmed that there were no abnormalities.

FEHD had sent staff to Mainland registered farms and processing plants with the aim to ascertain that chickens and poultry meat for supply to Hong Kong would not be affected.

There was an allegation that the Government had taken a long time to make public the test results of the environmental samples from the Po On Road Market.

The spokesman explained that the treatment of environmental samples was different from dead birds.

Under the regular surveillance, virus isolation was used to test environmental samples and this took at least a few days.

The environmental samples were taken on June 3 and the results were announced on June 7.

We understand that the time taken by AFCD to test the samples was comparable to the time required by the local tertiary institutions when conducting similar tests.

The spokesman pointed out that all legal live chicken imports and local chickens from registered farms had to undergo random checks before entering the Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market.

Only those with satisfactory test results were allowed to be sold to retailers.

Emphasising that the Government had all along been sparing no effort in cracking down on illegal import of live poultry and birds, the spokesman said the Government would not tolerate illegal chicken imports which pose threats to public health.

The Customs and Excise Department together with the relevant departments would conduct a comprehensive special investigation and step up actions to deter smuggling activities.

The Customs and Excise Department called on members of the trade and the public to report any smuggling of poultry and any intelligence to the Customs Information Hotline 2545 6182.
-
http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/rss/general_en.xml
------

 

[HenryN]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/06090801/H5N1_HK_Asymptomatic.html

 

[HenryN]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

Video

http://www.cctv.com/video/NewsHour/2008/06/NewsHour_300_20080609_13.shtml

 

[Commonground]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

Dr. Niman,
I know that the clade in Indonesia is different, than the one in China. I still keep remembering this news. When they say "mixing with the other virus" could the clades combine? Is their any connection here between Indo & China poultry?

The Immune virus the Vaccine was found
Rabu, 30/04/2008

The Directorate General (the Director General) Departemen Livestock Breeding of Agriculture found the existence of the virus of H5N1 strain Purwakarta (PWT) immune the bird flu vaccine.
His article, the poultry in Indonesia has experienced mutation. Now, this virus has spread in Purwakarta, some Subang, some of Jakarta, and Tangerang.
Director Kesehatan of the Dirjen Animal of Deptan Livestock Breeding, Musny Suatmodjo, worried the occurrence of the jump of the case of bird flu to the poultry that was difficult to be combatted if strain that mutated with the other flu virus.
-snip-
With the discovery of the virus of this H5N1 PWT, Musny ordered so that the Service of Peternakan West Java did bio security tightly for all poultry livestock breeding in the region that had strain PWT. Diperkirakan, said he, the number of poultry populations in the region that had strain PWT reached 50 million tails and most were maintained in big livestock breedings.
http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=152818&postcount=73

 

[Shiloh]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

Source: http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=67002&sid=19274742&con_type=1

H5N1 fears on smuggled chickens
Carol Chung
Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Smuggled chickens may have been the cause of the latest outbreak of the bird flu virus.

The suspicions arose after the farms that supplied the three stalls at the center of the H5N1 outbreak cleared preliminary checks.

Customs officials said yesterday they are treating reports of smuggling seriously.

Officers also said they would be stepping up intelligence-gathering operations to prevent underground poultry shipments.

"We will collaborate with the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department in investigating the reported problem of smuggling at both the wholesale and retail levels," said Tam Yiu- keung, acting assistant commissioner of intelligence and investigation at the Customs and Excise Department.

AFCD assistant director of inspection and quarantine Thomas Sit Hon-chung added: "Invoices show the chickens that tested positive came from three local and six mainland registered farms.

"But checks at the three local farms showed no problems, and mainland inspection and quarantine authorities have also confirmed there are no problems with the six farms on their side."

Sit said more than 70 samples taken from farms, wholesale and retail markets all tested negative for H5N1. More tests will be conducted at local and mainland farms and the results will be out in a few days.

The FEHD has sent inspectors to mainland farms and processing plants.

Sales of around 4,000 chickens left in the Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market resume today after samples tested negative.

Hong Kong Poultry Wholesalers' and Retailers' Association chairman Steven Wong Wai-chuen said he had heard that chilled chickens were being smuggled in by sea and land in air-conditioned carriers from Shenzhen.

"The wholesale price of such chickens is about HK$7 or HK$8 a catty, while the usual price is about HK$16 a catty," he said.

All chickens were slaughtered and chilled in yesterday's city-wide cleanup - earlier than the bi-monthly routines on the 25th and 10th of every month.

Wong expected the sector to lose HK$100 million in sales during the 21-day suspension of chicken imports.

Traders dropped a plan to free chickens at SAR government headquarters and Government House yesterday after meeting with officials on Sunday. That came after FEHD acting director of operations Chu Lan-ying said compensation is being considered, with HK$30,000 and a three-month rent waiver planned for vendors in government markets and HK$60,000 for vendors in markets managed by The Link.

The scare erupted on Saturday after chickens at the Po On Road market in Sham Shui Po tested positive. All 2,700 chickens in the market's nine stalls were culled.

 

[Commonground]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

Hong Kong reports H5N1 at poultry market

Lisa Schnirring Staff Writer
Jun 9, 2008 (CIDRAP News) ? Authorities in Hong Kong recently reported finding H5N1 avian influenza at a poultry market, marking the first detection of the virus in poultry there in more than 2 years.

Animal health officials detected the H5N1 virus in five chicken dropping samples from three poultry stalls, according to a Jun 7 press release from Hong Kong's information services department. Officials ordered all 2,700 birds at the market to be culled and planned to disinfect the market. The release didn't mention whether any chickens were sick or died.

Over the past several years, Hong Kong has filed several reports of individual sick or dead wild birds that tested positive for the H5N1 virus. However, the special administrative region of China hasn't had a major poultry outbreak since 1997, when 18 people were hospitalized with H5N1 infections and 6 died, all after having contact with birds. An avian flu timeline prepared by the World Health Organization says that two chickens in Hong Kong tested positive for H5N1 in the early months of 2006.

York Chow, Hong Kong's secretary for food and health, said in the press release that officials have traced the infected birds to a specific wholesale poultry market, but the chickens could have come from either local or mainland farms. He said imports of live chickens from the mainland and shipments from local sources would stop for 3 weeks to allow authorities to trace the source of the infected birds.

The region's food and environmental hygiene department has tightened inspections of 64 other markets that have poultry stalls and will be collecting more chicken droppings for testing, the press release said. Officials will also inspect mainland farms that supply birds to Hong Kong and collect samples from local wholesalers.

Government officials will also increase inspections of chilled poultry products from the mainland, as well as local retail markets and poultry farms, according to the press statement.

"If another case of avian influenza is found in other retail market in Hong Kong, the government will call all chickens in the retail level," Chow said.

Medical authorities were monitoring employees who worked at the three affected poultry stalls.

See also:

Jun 7 Hong Kong government press release

WHO's avian flu timeline
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/Timeline_08_06_2.pdf

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/avianflu/news/jun0908avian.html

 

[Commonground]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

[Please also see Post #18]

Hat-tip NawtyBits

Experts worry the virus increased risk of human transmission
http://www.wenweipo.com [2008-06-08]

[-] (LUO Jing Wen) Security Road Market sale of chickens were found to have stool with the H5N1 avian flu virus, no large-scale dead chickens, some experts worry that chickens supplied to Hong Kong are vaccinated, inhibit Symptoms, but increase the difficulty of monitoring. 事件亦可能反映雞隻所接種的疫苗失效，不排除接種疫苗的時間和劑量出現問題。 Incident may also reflect the vaccination of chickens by the failure of the vaccine, the vaccine does not rule out the time and dosage problems. 他稱，糞便藏病毒的傳播風險，比直接接觸死雞病毒為低，但市民在處理活雞時應注意衛生，並應以高溫烹調。 He said that stool risk of the spread of the virus, the virus than direct contact with dead chickens for the low, but the public attention should be paid in handling live chickens health, and should be high-temperature cooking.

現時供港的內地雞必須接種H5N1疫苗，本地雞則接種H5N2。 At present, the mainland to Hong Kong must be vaccinated chickens H5N1 vaccine, local chickens were inoculated H5N2. 中大微生物學系教授陳基湘形容，事件顯示病毒傳人的風險提高，並指接受疫苗接種的雞隻不一定100%受保護，反而可能令雞隻病徵減輕，增加監測困難。 Chinese University microbiology professor Chen Jixiang described the incident showed that the virus increase the risk of human transmission, and that vaccinated chickens may not necessarily 100 percent protected, it may reduce the symptoms of chicken, increased monitoring difficult. 他建議，市民將所有雞隻當成「染病雞」，做好防護措施。 He suggested that the public will all chickens as a "sick chicken" and do a good job protection measures.

疫苗失效或是原因之一 Vaccine failure or one of the reasons

港大感染及傳染病中心總監何柏良表示，今次個案可能涉及3大原因，可能是沒有接種疫苗的走私雞受感染，或雞隻受候鳥感染，也可能是疫苗失效。 Infection and the University of Hong Kong Center for Infectious Diseases Director Dr Bai Liang said the case may involve three major reasons, may not vaccinated smuggling of chicken infected by migratory birds or infected chickens, may also be vaccine failure. 他解釋，導致疫苗失效因素多，涉及接種疫苗時間和劑量，但現階段難以斷言。 He explained that many factors led to vaccine failure, and the time involved in vaccine dose, but difficult to assert that at this stage.

港大微生物學系系主任袁國勇表示，事件顯示人類感染風險增加，政府需要控制疫情，必須為所有街市消毒，並調查疫苗是否失效，抑或是臨近端午節，多了走私雞。 HKU Department of Microbiology, Yuen Kwok-yung said that the incident show an increased risk of human infection, the Government needs to control the epidemic, for all markets must be disinfected, and investigate whether the vaccine failure, or Dragon Boat Festival is drawing near, more smuggling of chicken.

http://tinyurl.com/57kzvj

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

hat -tip Treyfish -

10/06/2008, on Tuesday in the morning 09:00


Today headline

The commonplace official recognizes straight does not know selects the o Lebanon
Bird flu chicken free line

[Daily Sun special news]The Hong Kong besets with a crisis panic which once again the bird flu erupts, but government (earth step) the security downtown chicken files examined the H5N1 virus after last Saturday announcement deep water, until now had still not found sickness chicken origin. Fishing agriculture nature nursing bureau yesterday pointed out that the investigation discovered that cause troubles the chicken files live chicken from the Hong Kong and the inland altogether nine chicken houses, but the lab results actually could not find the virus, for the last few days also does not have the discovery from the retail outlet and the wholesale market spot check's 70 environment sample, right ?bird flu chicken? not in the least clue. Rested the city cleanly after yesterday, the cheung sha wan domesticated fowl wholesale market approximately 4000 sell remains the chicken to be possible duplicate to sell now through the chemical examination. Infectious disease specialist Lao Yongle mass-criticizes food and the sanitation bureau has not found out sickness chicken to originate, continues lets the live chicken sell is slowly deceives gives a thought to the public safety, ruthless group of bureau chiefs Monday mountain ?crazed?, once has the resident to infect, he can hardly absolve, urges the authority to destroy and suspension of sales market condition all live chickens as soon as possible.
Yuhushu assistant bureau chief Xue Hanzong yesterday indicated that after investigation security downtown chicken files documentary evidence, demonstrated that the live chicken from three local chicken houses and six inland for the port chicken house, Hong Kong's chemical examination sample assumes the negative, inland reported not receives the chicken only exceptionally to die, later will send the veterinarian toward inland inspection. But the local 50 chicken house not unusual circumstance, next several days will also extract the sample chemical examination; Has not examined until now in other downtown extraction's sample has the question. The outside criticism chemical examination time is too long, Xue explained that the environment sample must carry on by the embryo cultivation law, therefore takes time for several days.

Does not remove the virus from the smuggling chicken
When last week the authority announced the event, once suspected that involved the smuggling chicken, but the landing-waiters yesterday for the first time responded time, assistant Chief Tan Yaoqiang declared that took seriously to smuggle the chicken question, will unite with Yuhushu and Shihuanshu only retails, the wholesale stratification plane in the chicken to make the criminal detection, strengthened various important passes intelligence collection and the monitor, blocked off the smuggling activity, but has not announced any concrete investigation motion and the discovery.
Both could not find the smuggling evidence, and could not examine the H5N1 virus, the investigation zero progress. Xue Hanzong acknowledged that the present stage has not been able to determine the cause of disease, will investigate each link, will not remove the virus and the smuggling chicken or the wild bird concerns.
Lao Yongle mass-criticizes the authority not to be able to find out sickness chicken to originate, confessed difficultly to the resident. He believed that all retail outlets, the wholesale market and the chicken house lab results could not find the virus, demonstrated that the examination possibly has the error, causes the individual chicken only to examine the belt virus, other chickens have not only been able to confirm: ?the government the words safe, the residents buys all day long exposes to the sun o the chicken o Lebanon food, destroys the corpse and leave no trace, the stem is Mie Duyan, authority this is processes the fault!?

The expert rumbles the mountain to be Monday crazed
Lao Yongle indicated that Hong Kong facing eruption bird flu's risk, if Monday mountain still allowed that duplicate sells the live chicken, ?equates crazed?. He reiterated that not only if sickness chicken from the cheung sha wan domesticated fowl wholesale market, the eruption risk should limit to a downtown, Monday the mountain only stops the security chicken files selling the procedure which the chicken is backs up, just likes 97 year eruption bird flu is the same, on the other hand ?on the one hand the files have the matter to fall the files?, controls the epidemic situation no use. Lao Yongle believed that Yuhushu may simultaneously carry on the viral fast test and the embryo cultivation, speeds up obtains the analysis report, if tested fast found the bird flu virus first, might kill the chicken immediately, exempted the epidemic situation proliferation.

http://svsurl.systransoft.com/?t=ou...sk=11d1def534ea1be0-2630612f-11a63a2dff9-7b2f

 

[Commonground]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

"But the local 50 chicken house", where is this? Inland? Private chicken houses?

Post #34:

Yuhushu assistant bureau chief Xue Hanzong yesterday indicated that after investigation security downtown chicken files documentary evidence, demonstrated that the live chicken from three local chicken houses and six inland for the port chicken house, Hong Kong's chemical examination sample assumes the negative, inland reported not receives the chicken only exceptionally to die, later will send the veterinarian toward inland inspection. But the local 50 chicken house not unusual circumstance, next several days will also extract the sample chemical examination; Has not examined until now in other downtown extraction's sample has the question. The outside criticism chemical examination time is too long, Xue explained that the environment sample must carry on by the embryo cultivation law, therefore takes time for several days.

 

[Commonground]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

Hong Kong did not identify source of bird flu virus
[大纪元June 10 - The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Assistant Director Xue Han were on the 9th that the H5N1 avian flu virus found in Sham Shui Po Road Market chickens port security, from three local and six mainland farms. However, the authorities have not been able to identify the source of disease, avian flu continued to shadow over Hong Kong.
-snip-
http://translate.google.com/transla....htm&hl=en&ie=UTF8&sl=zh-CN&sl=es&tl=en&tl=en

 

[Commonground]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

2008/06/10
Panic ahead of a clean bird markets

Associated Press beam Luce, Lin Yi Hong Kong: Government reported last Saturday that security Sham  Road Market chicken droppings found to be highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus after, immediately announced a moratorium on the import of live poultry in mainland China 21, And contingency measures by the alert level raised to serious, and two days earlier than the scheduled time for the markets clean. Live poultry stall operators are complaining about sales fell, suffered heavy losses, requested the Government to give compensation. Microbiology experts have pointed out that the markets in the urban areas found that the H5N1 virus, the avian flu threat to humans showed that the risk increased.
-snip-
Experts: bird to human by threats

In the densely populated urban markets found that highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, the Chinese University Department of Microbiology, Professor Chen Jixiang stressed that this is a very strong warning: "Because of chickens in the markets is very dense, so if a virus, Usually there will be many chickens will be infected, the virus will be the number of many. There are many other markets and the public will have close contact with birds, chickens infected, pass the relatively high, relatively in birds, chickens Bar or find a chicken farm, that a more recent threat to the public. "He also pointed out that the virus was found in chickens with no symptoms of infection are invisible, difficult to find and relatively threatening.

The Government then said it was the H5N1 avian flu virus tracing the source, for the three weeks after the resumption of live chicken imports.

Have not traced the source of the virus

AFCD Assistant Director Xue Han were at a press conference yesterday that the virus has not yet been traced to the source, did not rule out any possibility, and the Customs and Excise Department will continue to investigate the possibility of smuggling of chicken, but no evidence that the source of the smuggled chickens.

Xue Han cases and said that the discovery of H5N1 avian influenza virus with the chickens, has been traced to three farms from Hong Kong and six mainland to Hong Kong's chicken farms, but the chicken farms from the stool samples for testing, temporarily All of the virus were negative. In addition, the relevant mainland farms also have not received any report of unusual situation, but the Government will send veterinarians to inspect these farms.

In Hong Kong retail outlets in samples taken the time being also found no positive results. Jinqi authorities announced that within three days in Hong Kong 50 swab samples taken from farms, chicken farms in Hong Kong will be the ultimate test of the sample. ◇

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[Commonground]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

hat-tip Treyfish

Explosion shadow of the avian flu sales of live chicken markets down Macao business deserted chicken stalls

Graphic: the birds to be kept waiting for the test samples be shipped out without question the market. (Source: Macao Daily)

June 10 - According to the Macao Daily News reported that after the Dragon Boat Festival, because of Hong Kong found that chickens with avian flu, affected residents "fresh chicken" sentiment. Macau chicken traders said that on the 9th of business than usual on February 3 percent reduction, markets more deserted. In accordance with past practice, I believe desalination market will continue at least 20 days, residents will not return to the "fresh chicken" confidence.

However, another chicken traders said that this post is a normal business deserted, in fact on the 9th business day after Dragon Boat Festival last year and similar to that little problem.

After the Dragon Boat Festival on the 9th, markets stalls selling chickens in the flow of people is obviously more recently deserted.
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Sales deserted, but the price or not. On the 9th still live chickens sold 20 yuan per catty, as the sale of fresh chicken every two 1.8 yuan, with pre-like. Gan wife Xiaoyan, in accordance with past practice, desalination market may have to continue 10, the end to see how long the incident disturbance can be determined.

Chicken traders are worried about market conditions, but also chicken traders and the fact that sales comparable to last year, there is no anomaly. Mr Hui said chicken traders, the market is a short post-normal, in fact on the 9th of business and last year's Dragon Boat Festival the following day for similar sales. He said that Macao's own bird flu was found that little problem, Mr. Xu to the restaurant every day "delivery" number as usual, did not substantially reduced, I believe that one week after the sales will return to normal.

President Rong residents on the 9th as usual to markets to buy fresh chicken, she said, an average of once a week will eat chicken, that as long as the chicken cooked before consumption, not the problem.

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[Giuseppe]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

SFH on avian influenza
June 11 2008, 7.35.10

Following is the transcript of remarks made by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, at a media session after attending radio programmes this morning (June 11):

Reporter:
The latest discovery of bird flu last Saturday has exposed the loophole in the Government's bio-security measures. What are you trying to do now to prevent this from happening again?

Secretary for Food and Health:
We have analysed the situation very closely since last Saturday. The four levels of control in terms of bio-security and of avian flu are in our poultry farms, in the border between the Mainland and Hong Kong, the wholesale and retail markets.

We have been doing a lot of inspection in our local farms. We have sent our inspectors and veterinary specialists to the Mainland to look at some of the affected farms destined for Hong Kong.

So far, we have not discovered any abnormality.

The PCR tests for virus are also negative.

We also look at the wholesale market. We found that the poultry in the market had shown no abnormality and the PCR tests are also negative.

We also screened through the tests from all the chickens passed through Man Kam To to see whether there is any abnormality in the last few weeks. Again, we did not find anything.

The only abnormality we have detected is in the retail market.

The test for the retail market involved both the PCR test and egg inoculation test. PCR test will give result within a short time and that's why we have announced the result on Monday when the first batch of results came up.

But there will be more results coming from the egg inoculation tests from the retail market later today.

We hope that with those results coming out, we can have a clearer picture of the extent of the problem.

If we found any of these additional tests showed positive results, we need to take relevant actions immediately.

Reporter:
Do you admit that smuggling of chickens remains a big problem for your bureau?

Secretary for Food and Health:
According to the record of the Hong Kong Customs, we have discovered four incidents of smuggling. We have also actually been able to confiscate all the chickens last year.

The biggest amount we have confiscated last year is almost up to 4,000. This is actually a sizeable smuggling exercise. The most important thing when we come to counteract such activities is information and intelligence. We hope that the trade would be more honest and able to tell us about what they have received.

Because most of the time we have to rely on such information before we can mount any operation.

Reporter:
How do you respond to criticisms that the bureau lacks political will to cull all the chickens on Monday instead of allowing the retailers to sell the chickens?

Secretary for Food and Health:
It is not a political decision. According to our guideline, if we find there is one retail site that has H5N virus avian influenza, we will just cull (chickens in) that site.

But if we have more than one site, then we will have a suspicion that it would have spread. Then of course we have more justifications to cull all the chickens.

Up to last Monday, there is only site that we have discovered to have H5 virus.

Reporter:
(about the latest incident in Tseung Kwan O Hospital where data of patients were dumped into landfill)

Secretary for Food and Health:
It is regarding a doctor who has not disposed of or put the relevant documents in the right place. I don't know the details. But it is important for any health care workers that needed to handle patients' documents involving confidentiality and privacy to lock the documents up and put them in the right place.

With the electronic health care system in the Hospital Authority, there is no reason that it should keep a lot of hard copies. They need to dispose of them in a proper way, either shredding them or giving them back to the original department.

Reporter:
A lot of people are concerned about whether one can get bird flu through eating. Do you have any advice for these people?

Secretary for Food and Health:
According to experts, so far all the patients of avian flu did not contract the disease from eating chickens. Most of them contract the disease by contacting sick chickens, in the process of slaughtering sick chickens or in the presence of live sick chickens.

All these are the scientific evidence showing that chilled and frozen chicken meat, though they might be contaminated with the virus, the risk of transmitting disease to humans is very low.

Reporter:
(about egg inoculation)

Secretary for Food and Health:
The egg inoculation process takes some time, a matter of three to seven days. Most of the virus can come out usually within three or four days. If the amount of virus is low, it will come out in six to seven days.

Normally, our scientists will discard the egg after about a week, depending on whether there is any significant change. It is a very accurate test, considered as a benchmark test and gold standard test for H5N virus. But unfortunately it is slow.

The PCR is the test that we always rely on when we suspect there is an H5 infection.

Reporter:
Bird flu normally occurs in winter months, but this time it appears in summer. So how concerned are you that there is a different strain?

Secretary for Food and Health:
We have done a genetic sequencing of the virus. It is the same as most of the dead birds we have discovered this winter.

There is no change in the genetic sequencing of the virus this time. (Please also refer to the Chinese session of the transcript.)
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http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200806/11/P200806110198.htm
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[Commonground]

Re: _|Hong Kong PRC SAR: H5N1 IN CHICKEN|_

I'm thinking that if the authorities in China are saying it was due to "smuggling" that leads me to another question. If the chickens were smuggled in, they were most likely not vaccinated. If they were not vaccinated, then they should have shown symptoms. The only way they would not show symptoms was if they were infected and not symptomatic "yet" at the very time they did the "routine test". That would be quite a coincidence.

So the question of them being smuggled is irrelevant.