China Reports H5N1 Outbreak In Poultry

Credit Wikipedia

 

# 6562

 

 

Via Xinhua news this morning, confirmation of a large cull of poultry in China’s Guangdong Province, after the discovery of the H5N1 `bird flu’ virus on Sept 11th.

 

 

Bird flu hits S China city

English.news.cn   2012-09-18 19:19:19

BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The H5N1 avian flu virus has been detected in the city of Zhanjiang in south China's Guangdong province, experts confirmed on Tuesday.

 

The virus has infected 14,050 ducks and killed 6,300 of them since Sept. 11, when symptoms were first reported, a Ministry of Agriculture official said.

 

After the epidemic was confirmed, local authorities cordoned off an infected area in the city and killed all poultry in the area before starting to decontaminate it, the official said.

 

China is particularly prone to bird flu epidemics, as it has the world's largest poultry population and many rural farmers live in close proximity to their poultry.

 

 

 

Zhanjiang is a prefecture-level city, with a population of more than 6 million, and is a prominent seaport and a major trade center.  

 

While this story states that China is particularly prone to bird flu epidemics, relatively few are mentioned in the state controlled media.

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Hong Kong: Progress Reports On H5N1 Investigation

 

 

 

# 6363

 

Via the Centre For Health Protection in Hong Kong we get an update on the investigation of the 2 year-old from Guangdong Province hospitalized with H5N1, which indicates that so far, no additional H5N1 infections have been detected.

 

No doubt complicating matters is the fact that Hong Kong is experiencing an unusually heavy, late season surge in seasonal influenza (see Hong Kong: Flu Activity Continues To Rise).

 

The most recent Flu Express report from the CHP indicates that flu activity (week 21) in Hong Kong is at the highest level of the year.

 

 

 

 

 

Updates on H5N1 case

• The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (June 3) provided further updates on the Influenza A (H5N1) case involving a two-year-old boy.

• The CHP's epidemiological investigation found that the boy had been to Anhui, China with parents from May 20 to 22, during which he had no direct poultry contact. He had visited a wet market with live poultry near his residence in Guangzhou in mid-May.

• The boy is currently receiving isolation treatment at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH). His condition remained serious.

• The CHP continued contact tracing work. Apart from the boy's parents, the CHP had traced contacts with the patient in the private medical clinic in Mong Kok, ambulance and Caritas Medical Centre (CMC), totalling around 80 people. Among them, two healthcare workers from CMC developed some respiratory symptoms and nasopharyngeal aspirates taken from them were tested negative for Influenza A (H5).

• Earlier, laboratory tests of the boy's parents, two health care workers of the private clinic and another patient who attended the same clinic were all tested negative for Influenza A (H5).

• The CHP has issued letters to doctors yesterday, reminding them to pay special attention to patients who have visited wet markets or had poultry contact in Guangzhou. They are also reminded to report any suspected H5 cases to the CHP.

• As at noon today, a total of 10 public enquiries have been received on the DH hotline (2125 1111).

• Investigation continues.

Ends/Sunday, June 3, 2012
Issued at HKT 14:54

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H5N1 Infected Chicken Carcass On Hong Kong Beach

 

 

 

# 5170

 

 

Situated at the mouth of the Pearl River Delta, which serves as a catchment area for dozens of tributaries flowing out of the highly industrialized and economically booming Guangdong Province, the northern shore of Lantau Island is on the receiving end of one of the more heavily polluted waterways in the world.

 

(Note: There are many fine beaches in Hong Kong, but they are carefully monitored, and some are often closed due to water quality issues. There are no `gazetted swimming’ beaches on the northern shore of Lantau Island.)

Almost two years ago (February, 2009) we saw numerous reports of dozens of dead birds – mostly poultry – washing up on the beaches of Lantau Island that subsequently tested positive for the H5N1 virus.

 

Despite Chinese denials, this sparked great suspicion in Hong Kong (never proven) that bird flu infected poultry were being disposed of somewhere in Guangdong Province by farmers dumping their carcasses into the river.

 

Some of my blog coverage of these events included:

 

Hong Kong Authorities Investigating More Dead Birds

All Eyes On Mainland China

More Concerns Surface Over China

 

Eventually the number of dead birds showing up on shore declined, and the mystery went unsolved.  The H1N1 pandemic virus emerged 60 days later, and the world forgot – at least temporarily – about bird flu.

Yesterday, it was announced that another dead, badly decayed, and H5N1 infected chicken carcass was found on the beach at Sha Lo Wan, Lantau.  

 

Once again, its origin is unknown.

 

Here are excerpts from the Hong Kong Press Release:

 

 

Chicken carcass found in Lantau confirmed positive for H5 virus

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

A spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said today (December 22) that a chicken carcass found in Sha Lo Wan, Lantau, was confirmed to be H5 positive after a series of laboratory tests.

 

The carcass was found and collected on December 18 at the seashore of Sha Lo Wan. It was highly decomposed when found.

 

The spokesman said there were no poultry farms within three kilometres of where the carcass was found.  AFCD staff have conducted inspections of the nearby villages of Sha Lo Wan Tsuen and Sha Lo Wan San Tsuen. There was no evidence of any backyard poultry being kept there.

 

AFCD is concerned about the incident and will continue to monitor the situation. Inspections of the seashore and its vicinity will be stepped up. The department is looking into different possibilities of why the chicken carcass was found at the seashore, including whether it had been washed ashore or dumped.

 

(Continue . . . )

    

 

Given its location (northern shore of Lantau island), its level of decomposition (advanced), and the lack of poultry operations within 3 kilometers of the find, the notion that this bird may have flowed down the Pearl River is not without merit.

 

We’ll obviously be watching with interest to see if this turns out to be a single incident, or if more birds turn up, and if so, what their point of origin is eventually determined to be.

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