All Mainland chickens coming into Hong Kong will be vaccinated for H5N1 by January 15.

Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong said the vaccination agreement has been reached with Mainland authorities.

Meanwhile, importation of live birds and poultry meat from South Korea, Vietnam and Japan has been temporarily suspended in light of recent avian flu outbreaks in these places. As for table eggs, a suspension is considered unnecessary after referring to the Office International des Epizooties, the international authority on animal health and disease.

Dr Yeoh said the Government has stepped up biosecurity measures and implemented vaccination programmes for chickens on Hong Kong farms.

Our farms and markets have reported no unusual deaths, and the chickens appear to be healthy and well, he said.

The Government has a regular surveillance programme of checking for H5N1 in our markets and farms, and Dr Yeoh said it is running successfully. Nevertheless, the programme is under regular review to ensure its effectiveness in tackling the problem.

The Government also remains vigilant in keeping our guard against any mutation or re-assortment of the virus that may have an impact on human health.

At this time, human influenza activity in Hong Kong remains within historical limits and no H5N1 isolate has been detected.

Regarding the Vietnam outbreak, tests have shown no evidence of human-to-human transmission at this stage.

As a precautionary measure, people should observe good personal hygiene and wash their hands thoroughly after contact with live birds.