Hong Kong ready to cull birds at first sign of 'bird flu' infection

Poultry will be culled and imports suspended if a quick test on live chickens, to be introduced this week, detects any positive results for H7N9, the health minister said yesterday.

Food and Health Bureau Secretary Dr Ko Wing-man announced there hade been nine suspected cases of human infection in Hong Kong, but all were found to be negative. Some schools are stepping up flu prevention measures and adopting more stringent cleaning practices.

Ko said the government would immediately activate its alert to "serious response level" once the city detected its first H7N9 infection - either in birds or in humans.

"There are still no signs that H7N9 can be transmitted from human to human," he said. "Still, we have to remain vigilant."

Starting on Thursday, the government will implement a new H7N9 test on all live chickens imported into the city from the mainland via the Man Kam To Control Point.

The new test will produce results in four hours, a vast improvement on the four days needed for the current test, which Ko said did not measure up to what was needed to monitor an imminent health threat.