Conquering bird flu
After the anguish and recrimination which punctuated the avian flu episode at Christmas, the Government is entitled to bask in the unaccustomed praise heaped on it by a world expert on the influenza virus. If the decision to slaughter has indeed 'saved the world' from a pandemic, then the Government deserves a belated pat on the back.
There have been no new cases since the markets were closed down. Government policy has been completely vindicated. We can consequently expect the SAR's image to be absolutely transformed. Instead of an administration labelled as panic stricken and indecisive, disorganised and lacking in judgment, the likelihood is it will now be regarded as a fund of knowledge on crisis management in agriculture and food production, and first port of call for other governments confronted by a similar problem.
In spite of mistakes made at the time, the end has justified the means. A crisis of this nature was unprecedented. It required a swift response to an unknown enemy and if there was a big element of disorganisation in the slaughtering process and the disposal of the carcasses, it seems to have had no adverse consequences.
Hong Kong now appears to have far higher standards of hygiene in its markets, a better system of quality control for the poultry sold there, and the officials so harshly criticised at the height of the crisis now have the satisfaction of being praised as heroes. When the first 15,000 chickens arrive from Shenzhen at the weekend, shoppers will be able to buy poultry which is undoubtedly among the most rigorously inspected on the planet.
It may be a little early to say that the crisis is over. March is the peak month for influenza, and we should perhaps wait until then before closing the chapter on chicken flu. But now that people know the importance of hygiene in the marketplace and the home, we must see to it that standards are not allowed to slip again.
