Thursday, December 11, 2008

Hong Kong and then the outbreak of bird flu

[This is an article that is more easily understood, regarding translations, and covers all the issues]
December 10, 2008



By Dec. 10 (Bloomberg reporter Cher Wu, Zheng Li Ju, Liang Hong Kong reports) an Yuen Long, New Territories of Hong Kong chicken farms in the outbreak of bird flu, the government yesterday decided to cull the emergency farm and 3 km from the other chickens Total market a total of 80,000 live chickens, as well as the Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Market of the remaining more than 10,000 birds, a total of just over 90,000. This is the farm for the first time in 6 years, the outbreak of bird flu. At the same time, the Government will change the bird sensor-level alert level from elevated to a serious level, real-time ban on exports of live chickens in local farms, also prohibits the import of live poultry for 21 days.
From today there will be no supply of live chickens in the market, this year, the public will not buy live chickens from the winter solstice. People who hold different views on measures to kill the chickens, and some can not think of a few and kill all the infected chickens, but also in favor of the view that members of the public to avoid bird flu as SARS as the outbreak of large-scale, human infection.
For a vaccine to fight the chickens infected with bird flu, experts say the situation is not unusual, the need to conduct a comprehensive survey as soon as possible, because the virus may mutate, the vaccine or in the production process does not meet the required standards.
(more)

Fung Kong Tsuen, Yuen Long farm disease
Food and Health Secretary York Chow said yesterday, Fung Kong Tsuen, Yuen Long, a field of farm owners, to the authorities Monday reported 60 dead chickens were abnormal, and government officials arrived at the scene seized 3 dozens of dead chickens and chicken manure Samples. Yesterday morning, come to a quick test shows positive for the H5 confirmed that chickens infected with avian flu. Government response mechanism immediately upgraded from alert level upgraded to serious levels.
According to Dr farm owner said that Monday was found more than 20 for chicken breeding, as well as to monitor the health status of the sentinel chickens unusual chicken deaths, authorities have been notified immediately.
Director of Agriculture, Fisheries yesterday announced that chicken farms for epidemic disease, as well as chicken farms within 3 km range of areas classified and arranged for the destruction of all chickens in infected areas, two farms about 80,000 chickens. The other areas of the farms were found infected chickens.


AFCD staff put the chickens into plastic bins and then inject carbon dioxide, the chickens will be killed. (Information Services Department)

To suspend live poultry import 21
At the same time, the authorities announced the suspension of local chicken farms out of 21, as well as to suspend all import of live poultry and Guan Shangniao 21, and the Chinese mainland imported poultry are also included, but can continue to import chilled chickens. AFCD staff would inspect all farms during the period, the samples for testing to ensure the virus did not spread and the department will be in all major markets for cleaning.
York Chow stressed that if the farms have a problem, it is possible in Hong Kong more than 60 million chickens were slaughtered needs.
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and the Center for Health Protection dozens of officers, 4:00 p.m. yesterday to put on protective clothing and wearing masks, entered the outbreak of bird flu for the destruction of farms and testing. AFCD staff to carry out disinfection before entering the chicken slaughter of live chickens, dead chickens in the body sprinkled disinfectant powder, and then into a black plastic bag into the trash can where it is taken away. Due to insufficient lighting at night, the slaughter of chickens in the 20 o'clock suspended for the time being to kill about one-third of the chickens, will continue operations. In addition, once the importation of chickens in two farms in the Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market with more than 10,006 birds, will be destroyed today.
Center for Health Protection yesterday evening sent two ambulances to the outbreak of bird flu farms, farm owners and other workers rushed to Princess Margaret Hospital 6 tests, found no symptoms temporarily.
Accident at farms within 3 km radius of the Yuen Long Park Tower birds yesterday immediately closed until further notice.
The disease is the chicken farm to retail markets, York Chow said that as the market daily policies clearance, which should be all the chickens have been slaughtered in the previous two days ago, and the farm the day before yesterday and yesterday did not chicken out, so the risk of the spread of bird flu Is not high.
Hong Kong chicken farms in the last large-scale outbreak of bird flu in February 2002, when the Kam Tin area farms within a month a total of more than 860,000 chickens, compensation amounting to 26,000,000 yuan.
In January 2003, the number of farms in Yuen Long has confirmed that chickens infected with H5 virus, the Government Zaisha 10,000 live chickens.


AFCD staff at the outbreak of bird flu spreading the farms sterilization powder, for a thorough disinfected. (Information Services Department)

York Chow: Great opportunity for migratory birds spread the disease
Regarding the source of the outbreak of the bird, York Chow said the first farms in the incidence of death of some chicken, and with no impact on the vaccination of sentinel chickens, but there are a small number of vaccinated chickens are infected, so do not Rule out the virus.
He said: "We may not know for certain that the chickens were infected at the same time or late infection, we have to do more research before we can do. This must be done and the gene sequencing research can be sure that we have in the past, whether or wild birds, for example, this year we have 5 On the virus found in the market, found a similar gene sequencing South China in this regard over the years the virus, so we will see this virus with our last test of whether or not similar, we have to look at whether the use of the vaccine for their effective . "
York Chow, but that there may be a farm security issues, including the farms into the wild, or have no intention of the staff will be brought into the field, such as chicken guano, which causes infected chickens over the possibility of Great.
Experts: or variants of the virus involved
The University of Hong Kong Director of the Center for Infection and what al infectious diseases, said that the H5 flu virus into the chickens have been vaccinated, including chickens, the situation is not unusual, the need to conduct a comprehensive survey as soon as possible, because the virus may mutate, or In the vaccine production process has not reached the required standards.
Government measures to deal with bird flu, the Chinese University Associate Professor of the Department of Biochemistry Chen-ming has said that it was confident that the problem is with the Government in the end what the vaccine. He questioned whether Hong Kong is still suitable for chicken.
Chen Ming was of the view that non-implementation of central slaughtering, once and for all will not be able to solve the problem of avian flu. He criticized the Government for the implementation of central slaughtering the pace is too slow, too easy on the incident.
For each of the chickens have been culled, compensation will be 30 yuan. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department destroyed the incidence of chicken farms close to 60,000 live chickens, chicken farms led to the loss of more than 2,000,000 yuan. Mr Wong said the main market: "heavy, heavy is sure, their property, their own efforts to do so, the end can not escape this fate."


Wearing a full set of protective equipment for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department staff, entered the farm chickens culled before disinfection. (AFP)

People who hold different views on the slaughter of chickens
As the year is the Winter Solstice on the 21st of this month, in a three-week period, there will be no supply of live chickens.
Tsing Yi, New Territories, who lives in the Zhengtai Tai said: "I will be the Government's 80,000 chickens were killed by a non-recognition, because only 3 chickens have bird flu, 20 stool samples of chickens have bird flu, but other chicken is no problem, why should Kill them? Whether or not this can be resolved once and for all solve the problem? The present government of doing things are not filtered. "However, she did not live to eat that winter has not affected, you can eat the other.
But there is also a housewife, said: "The winter has always been more traditional chicken, and delicious, a bit disappointed not to eat chicken, or would consider buying instead of chilled chickens."
Public money to his wife, said: "I think we should kill those chickens, because you do not know which place, although not tested, but in order to prevent this is good. If you like SARS that year on a terrible, if You do not control the source, when anything happens to everyone are the first to be affected. This is not to eat chicken is no way, the most important thing is not to H5N1 have occurred. "
There are also people are very frustrated. Tuen Mun, who lives in the Miss Peng said: "it does not matter, it is when you eat less, in any case is now the financial tsunami, the economy is not good, eat more vegetables, fresh meal or a street, Suan La!"
There are also people can not prevent avian flu was disappointed, but also a lot of food were found to have unsafe ingredients containing said he was worried about.
In response to the outbreak of the Yuen Long farm bird flu, the Hospital Authority announced that restrictions on the time to visit the wards, but also pay attention to the poultry trade upper respiratory tract infection cases, and the Department of Health will be notified by letter and private medical practitioners to monitor the case and urged the public not to Authorization to carry live poultry to Hong Kong and to avoid contact with live chickens, wash your hands after contact with live chickens, live chickens to eat only thoroughly cooked before. ◇ (http://www.dajiyuan.com)

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