Fowl check:
The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department has launched the rapid H7 avian influenza test for poultry imported from the Mainland.
Fowl check:
The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department has launched the rapid H7 avian influenza test for poultry imported from the Mainland.
Rapid poultry test launched
April 11, 2013
The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department launched the rapid H7 avian influenza test today for poultry imported from the Mainland.
Senior Veterinary Officer (Veterinary Public Health) Dr Allen Chan told the media the poultry can only be sold after a satisfactory result is obtained.
All imported Mainland poultry is from registered farms supervised by Mainland authorities, he said, adding the birds will be tested for H5 and H7 influenza before a health certificate is issued allowing export to Hong Kong.
Mr Chan said vehicles will be sealed by Mainland authorities after the poultry is loaded to avoid mixing with other birds during transportation.
Upon arrival, the centre’s officers will verify the health certificate and other export documents. They will also check for sick or dead birds and collect tissue samples for avian influenza testing.
Officers will randomly select 30 birds from each consignment of around 1,000, to collect swabs and blood samples for the rapid test detecting the H5 and H7 antigen and antibodies. Results are available in four to five hours.
The truck will then be sealed again and the chickens transported to Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market, where they can only be sold if tests for H5 and H7 are negative.
"When there are birds infected by H7 or H5, all the import of poultry will be suspended according to the World Organisation for Animal Health’s recommendations," Mr Chan said.
