Hong Kong on Bird Flu Alert

A bird found dead in a busy Hong Kong shopping area tested positive for H5N1 bird flu in preliminary tests. Additional tests are being conducted to confirm the diagnosis. Hong Kong is on alert - with monitoring, precautionary measures and watching for human cases..

Hong Kong on Bird Flu Alert

Hong Kong was on bird flu alert Friday after a wild bird found in a busy shopping area was tested positive for the avian flu virus.

Officials confirmed Thursday that preliminary testing of a dead bird found in Causeway Bay had indicated it was suspected to have died of H5 avian influenza.

Further confirmatory tests are still being conducted, but in the meantime officials have stepped up monitoring and precautionary measures and advised doctors to be on the lookout for human cases.

The reports show that Hong Kong is being open, vigilant and acting responsibly.

And by implication, suggesting that others are not?




wd

[edit on 5-1-2007 by soficrow]

"I am very confident the officials in Hong Kong can cope with this and I believe they will inform the public promptly and release information to the WHO," says new WHO chief Chan.

Hong Kong citizens say they want to be fully informed so they can decide for themselves how much risk they are willing to tolerate.

HK can handle threat of bird flu, says Chan

Asked to comment on Thursday's announcement in Hong Kong that a scaly-breasted munia found dead in heavily populated Leighton Road has tested positive for H5, (Chan) said it was an isolated case and did not increase the health risk in Hong Kong, though it was essential to trace the source of the infection and the path of transmission.

"The government keeps saying there is no problem if you do not touch the birds. But birds fly in the air, they swoop down without warning, so contact with birds is not something you can always control," a Happy Valley resident surnamed Kwoh said.

"The government should keep citizens informed about the danger of H5N1 to humans so that people can make informed decisions as to how much risk they are willing to tolerate." (said a resident named Hsu)

Call it a "War on Priorities."


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ooops. Sorry. Thought I already posted this.

Hong Kong Bird Found to Have Died From H5N1 Strain of Bird Flu

A dead bird found last month in Hong Kong has tested positive for the H5N1 strain of avian influenza.

More than 700 outbreaks of H5N1 among wild birds and domestic poultry were reported to the World Organization for Animal Health in 2006.

...Last year, 114 cases, including 79 deaths, were reported, with 88 of the new infections counted between January and June.

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Bloomberg: Hong Kong Bird Found to Have Died From H5N1 Strain of Bird Flu