Gov't to meet with poultry industry on H7 risk

April 14, 2013

Secretary for Food & Health Dr Ko Wing-man said the human cases of Influenza A (H7N9) in the Mainland suggest poultry workers have a higher risk of infection. The Government will arrange talks with the poultry industry to discuss ways to bolster awareness and risk control.
 
Speaking to the media today, Dr Ko said the Government is concerned about managing the risk to the poultry industry. He urged poultry workers to strictly follow Food & Environmental Hygiene Department instructions for their own health and safety, and that of the community. 
 
Dr Ko said the Government has done much to control the risks live poultry present. The number of live poultry imports have decreased sharply, and the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department has also launched the rapid H7 bird flu test recently for poultry imported from the Mainland.
 
He said the Government has also stepped up market cleaning, in view of the H7N9 bird flu cases on the Mainland. Experts' assessment suggest Hong Kong's risk-control works have attained a certain level and no stricter measures are currently under consideration. 
 
Dr Ko said he is concerned about the spreading of human cases of Influenza A (H7N9) on the Mainland, as some reports say that confirmed cases were found not only in the eastern part of the Mainland, but also in the centre and the north, in Henan and Beijing.
 
“Evidence now showed or confirmed that the H7N9 virus is indeed widely circulating among the poultry population. The exact mechanism of how and why the disease has now affected Henan and Beijing remains an issue for the experts, particularly the experts in epidemiological studies,” he said.