Thousands of Birds Culled in Hong Kong Due to Avian Flu Scare

Hong Kong is alert to the spread of viruses after an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome swept through the city in 2003, killing 299 people.

Hong Kong culled 4,500 birds after the deadly H7N9 bird flu virus was discovered in a chicken at a local market.

Health officials in white hazmat suits and masks dumped the chickens into green plastic bins at a wholesale poultry market in central Hong Kong. The bins were then pumped with carbon dioxide to kill the birds.

Avian Influenza / Bird Flu-Causes-Symptoms-Treatment- FAQs
Bird flu (avian influenza/avian flu) is a disease caused by an influenza virus (H5N1) that primarily affects birds but can infect humans also.

‘Bird flu scares in the past two years have seen mass culls of up 20,000 birds in Hong Kong.’

Hong Kong is particularly alert to the spread of viruses after an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) swept through the city in 2003, killing 299 people and infecting around 1,800.

A spokeswoman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said the latest cull included chickens and pigeons.

Trade of live poultry has also been suspended after authorities said Saturday the avian flu virus was found in a fecal sample collected from a chicken at a market in the Tuen Mun, a neighbourhood in the west of Hong Kong.

A New Variant of Bird Flu Virus Causes Serious Infection
A newly detected variant of bird flu virus has been associated with serious lung infection, ultimately resulting in death.

The city's health minister Ko Wing-man said the city was staying "stringent" against infectious diseases when he announced the cull late Monday.

H7N9 is a particular worry for authorities as it does not kill infected chickens or cause them to develop symptoms, which allows it to spread undetected until contact is made with humans.

A Bird's Eye View of The Bird Flu Scare
It might not be the plague yet, but the bird or avian flu scare has acquired this nasty habit of sending a shiver down the spine.

The majority of human cases of H7N9 infection have been associated with direct or indirect contact with infected live or dead poultry, according to the World Health Organisation.

Bird Flu Scare Steps Up Border Checks in Hong Kong
Border checks have now been stepped up in Hong Kong after the city reported its first case of the deadly H7N9 bird flu

Source-AFP