The health chief said yesterday that anti-bird flu control measures need to be reviewed to ensure that the H5N1 flu contracted by members of a Tsing Yi family who visited the mainland does not lead to widespread infections. Describing the latest cases as a 'little outbreak', Yeoh Eng-kiong, Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, said it was likely the nine-year-old boy who is receiving treatment in hospital and his father, who died last Monday, became infected when the family visited a village in Fujian province. 'Obviously, we are very concerned about the situation. We know that avian flu is endemic in this part of the world and we have been looking at how we should be able to control it,' Dr Yeoh said. He said migratory birds carrying the virus could have spread it to domestic chickens in the remote island in Fujian. A review of measures to ensure domestic birds are not infected as well as steps to ensure the virus is not transferred to humans is needed. But the cases were isolated and there was no evidence bird flu was spreading between humans, he added. A Food and Environmental Hygiene Department spokesman said an agreement had been made with poultry retailers and wholesalers that there should be an additional market rest day for all live poultry stalls on the 10th of next month.
