Poultry trade may be spreading killer H7N9 virus
Expert called in by WHO recommends a review of market practices in China and Asia
Poultry workers moving between wet markets and farms are probably responsible for the wide geographical spread of the deadly new bird flu virus on the mainland, says a Hong Kong expert invited by the World Health Organisation to investigate the outbreak.
Cages, vehicles and personnel handling birds were likely to be taking the H7N9 virus with them as they moved around, spreading the disease to many provinces, Malik Peiris, a professor of virology and medical science at the University of Hong Kong, told the South China Morning Post.
"It is likely that the spread is predominately through the poultry trade … it seems much more practical [that it spreads] with the route of poultry movement."
In 2002, contaminated poultry cages carried from markets to farms proved to be a key factor behind the H5N1 outbreak in Hong Kong. Peiris said such traffic was likely to be "one important risk factor" in how the new virus is spreading.
Since H7N9 was first identified on March 30, 127 cases have been detected in 10 provinces, the latest being a 69-year-old farmer in Fujian . Twenty-seven people have died.
The Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday that a chicken sample from a wholesale market in Dongguan had tested positive for the virus - a first in Guangdong, although there have been no human cases in the province. The finding highlights the growing risk of the disease spreading to Hong Kong.
Peiris said: "It may be a good time for China and Asia to review their poultry practices … and Hong Kong can act as a model in terms of its good biosecurity measures."