HK keeps high alert against avian flu
By (Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-03-06 16:48

The Hong Kong government keeps high alert and strengthens a series of measures against bird flu as a man in the neighboring Guangdong province died of H5N1.

On Monday, three public health professionals from the SAR government's Center for Health Protection left for Guangzhou to meet their Guangdong counterparts on issues relating to the prevention and control of avian influenza infections in people.

During the one-day visit, the delegation will meet with experts from Guangdong Province's Center for Diseases Control and Prevention to exchange views and share information on the laboratory findings from the fatal case.

Immediately after the confirmation of the human avian flu case in Guangdong, Hong Kong decided to suspend imports of live poultry, day-old chicks and pet birds from the mainland for three weeks starting Sunday night.

Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food York Chow said the suspension allows the relevant mainland authorities to conduct comprehensive investigations, adding his mainland counterparts supported the extra precautionary measures.

"The live poultry and poultry products supplied by the mainland are all subject to stringent inspection and quarantine requirements. So far, no abnormalities have been identified. The temporary suspension is only a preventive measure," Chow said.

According to the spokesman for the Hong Kong Health, Welfare and Food Bureau, if it is confirmed that there has been no additional human infection case and that there is no outbreak of avian influenza in live poultry farms in Guangdong, the supply of live poultry and birds will be resumed.

At present, Hong Kong imports 30,000 live poultry everyday from registered poultry farms of Guangdong province.

The Department of Health has already implemented temperature screening for inbound travelers at all immigration control points and enhanced health education for travelers through leaflets and health message displays.

Private medical practitioners have also been alerted to report suspected avian flu cases. Swift tests by the government laboratory will take only several hours while detailed test results will be available within two days.

Meanwhile, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Departments step up inspection and monitoring of the hygiene conditions in all local farms, wholesale and retail markets.

The Customs and Excise Department also strengthen its efforts to crack down on smuggling activities on birds and poultry.

However, Chow regarded it unnecessary to require travelers to fill in health-declaration forms at boundary checkpoints, as there is no general outbreak of avian flu in Guangzhou.

Speaking to the media at Central Government Offices Monday morning, Chow said more than 300,000 people travel through boundary checkpoints to and from Shenzhen everyday, and that implementing health declarations would hinder passenger flow.

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