And So It Begins
Today Hong Kong discarded 19,451 birds as well as banned the sale and import of live poultry until January 12th following the discovery of the lethal H5N1 bird flu virus in a chicken carcass at a wholesale market. In a press release yesterday the city government stated that 30 chicken farms in Hong Kong had been tested and all were avian influenza free, but the Agricultural, Fishing and Conservation Department will conduct further testing.
This form of flu virus was first found in humans in Hong Kong in 1997 and spread quickly to Asia, Africa and Europe. It resulted in millions of bird fatalities as well as deaths of more than half of the people that became infected. As a result of that outbreak as well as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 which lead to 299 deaths, Hong Kong approaches this and any pathogenic strain of virus aggressively.
According to Yuen Kwok-Yung, the chairman of infectious disease at the University of Hong Kong`s department of microbiology, ``Hong Kong has the best H5N1 contingency plan to be found in any part of the world. We should not panic. Every winter there is increased H5N1 activity in poultry and migratory birds.``
The CDC in Atlanta has said the avian flu is a serious public health concern with the likelihood of causing a lethal pandemic. They estimate that since 2003, more than 500 people have been infected with this particular strain of influenza and roughly 60% of those infected have died. Folks remember that it is possible for another world-wide pandemic so take the necessary precautions to protect you and your loved ones.