Hong Kong poultry stall suspended for disinfection after bird flu trace detected
Shoppers say they are ‘not worried’ despite confirmation that two-year-old boy contracted H9N2 after visiting Wo Che Market in Sha Tin
A poultry stall at a Hong Kong market has been disinfected after an environmental sample tested positive for the H9 bird flu virus, with shoppers remaining largely unfazed despite a recent infection involving a two-year-old boy.
The affected stall, the only live poultry shop operating inside Sha Tin’s Wo Che Market, temporarily suspended operations on Tuesday morning for cleaning.
The shop owner and three staff members were seen scrubbing live chicken cages and wiping down price tags while officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) monitored the disinfection work on site.
“Foot traffic today is lower than usual for a typical morning,” said Liu Yuk-lan, a vendor at a nearby grocery store, adding that she had seen staff spraying disinfectant overnight.
“I haven’t taken any special precautions because of this. Wearing a mask is already a must for my job.”
Despite Liu noting fewer crowds, most customers said they were not worried.