Secretary for Food & Health Dr York Chow says the Government has sent officials to inspect poultry farms in Guangdong, adding authorities there have not detected any abnormality in the farms.

Speaking after a radio talk show today Dr Chow said the Government has asked Mainland authorities to trace the virus source of the H5N1 avian flu outbreak in a Liwan poultry retail market.

Noting it is important to ensure the farms supplying chickens to Hong Kong are free of the virus, the secretary said the Government will closely monitor the situation and conduct random checks at Man Kam To and wholesale markets.

Meanwhile, public health and medical experts from Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong met at the Centre for Health Protection to discuss issues relating to the prevention and control of seasonal flu.

Speaking after the meeting, the centre's Consultant (Community Medicine) Dr SK Chuang said although kindergartens and primary schools have been closed the centre still received new reports of flu cases. She expected the flu peak season to last several weeks.