https://www.scmp.com/rss/301085/feed H7N9 refers to a subgroup of H7 influenza viruses that normally circulates among birds. Human infections of H7N9 have been reported in parts of China, with some people dying of severe pneumonia. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com With the world’s focus firmly on the coronavirus, it is easy to miss other developments – and warnings – emerging from the health sector. This month researchers released a study that found the spread of avian flu in China is closely connected to poultry trade networks rather than just bird migration. A clear association was found between the structure of poultry trade networks and the dissemination of H5N1, H7N9 and H5N6 bird flu viruses after studying five Chinese regions. The country’s central... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3076667/bird-flu-spread-china-closely-linked-poultry-trade-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3076667/bird-flu-spread-china-closely-linked-poultry-trade-study?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2020 07:00:15 +0000 Hong Kong’s health minister promised the government would stay alert over any possible outbreak of bird flu in the city as new research in Japan confirmed the H7N9 virus could be transmitted via respiratory droplets. Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee on Sunday said the government had done a lot in the prevention and surveillance of bird flu at local farms and markets selling live poultry. “We will continue to communicate with international organisations and health organisations... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2171617/hong-kong-remain-vigilant-over-bird-flu-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2171617/hong-kong-remain-vigilant-over-bird-flu-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Nov 2018 11:53:56 +0000 A novel virus, moderately contagious and moderately lethal, has surfaced and is spreading rapidly around the globe. Outbreaks first appear in Frankfurt, Germany and Caracas, Venezuela. The virus is transmitted person-to-person, primarily by coughing. There are no effective antivirals or vaccines. American troops stationed abroad are infected. Now the first case to reach the United States has been identified on a small college campus in Massachusetts. So began a recent day-long exercise hosted by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2148618/john-hopkins-mock-global-pandemic-leaves-150-million?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2148618/john-hopkins-mock-global-pandemic-leaves-150-million?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 May 2018 06:26:26 +0000 A faster and easier test for viruses has been developed by Hong Kong university students which could speed up treatment and save lives by allowing doctors to make quicker decisions and gain critical time when faced with the threat of an epidemic. The testing method, designed by a team of 15 undergraduates at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, has already been put to work on influenza A viruses in preliminary experiments, where it was able to identify subtypes in about an hour. That time was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2123110/virus-test-developed-15-hong-kong-university?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2123110/virus-test-developed-15-hong-kong-university?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Dec 2017 23:00:21 +0000 Lab experiments on a new strain of the H7N9 bird flu circulating in China suggest the virus can transmit easily among animals and can cause lethal disease, raising alarms the virus has the potential for triggering a global human pandemic, researchers reported on Thursday. The H7N9 virus has been circulating in China since 2013, causing severe disease in people exposed to infected poultry. Last year, however, human cases spiked, and the virus split into two distinct strains that are so different... https://www.scmp.com/tech/science-research/article/2116181/new-version-bird-flu-virus-china-could-cause-global-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/science-research/article/2116181/new-version-bird-flu-virus-china-could-cause-global-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Oct 2017 17:01:34 +0000 Two new cases of H7N9 infection have been reported in Henan province, local health authorities said on Sunday, taking the number of news case in northern China in recent days to four. Two patients, a 45-year-old woman from Nanyang, and a 54-year-old man from Pingdingshan, were both critically ill in hospital, officials at the provincial health department said. People who had close contact with the two patients have been observed and none had shown any symptoms, Xinhua reported. Bird flu... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2088062/four-new-cases-h7n9-reported-chinas-henan-and-hebei?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2088062/four-new-cases-h7n9-reported-chinas-henan-and-hebei?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Apr 2017 13:37:19 +0000 Hong Kong’s experience in handling bird flu is second to none. Given we have gone through no fewer than 12 health scares and have culled more than four million birds since 1997, one would have thought the problem should have long been settled. It is therefore intriguing that the government is still grappling with the issue, in a rather lame consultation document, after two decades. According to a study, live poultry imports and sales should be maintained in light of people’s “strong culinary... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2085552/enough-tiptoeing-around-problem-bird-flu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2085552/enough-tiptoeing-around-problem-bird-flu?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Apr 2017 17:19:22 +0000 Hong Kong poultry sellers have called for financial support from the government to introduce better facilities to separate consumers and live chickens in wet markets amid the threat of bird flu. This came as the government launched a two-month public consultation on the future of the city’s live poultry trade on Monday, after a consultant study it commissioned concluded that live chicken sales should continue and a central slaughterhouse was unviable. But more stringent avian flu precautionary... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2084991/hong-kong-poultry-sellers-urge-financial-support?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2084991/hong-kong-poultry-sellers-urge-financial-support?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Apr 2017 03:26:23 +0000 Hong Kong poultry sellers and farmers have called for more vendor licences to be released to make prices more competitive after a study released on Monday deemed the idea of building a central slaughterhouse unviable. After six deaths caused by bird flu in 1997, the city’s health authorities proposed building such a slaughterhouse to keep live poultry away from the general public to lower risks posed by their sale in wet markets. Hong Kong sale of live chickens recommended to remain on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2084758/hong-kong-poultry-sellers-and-farmers-urge-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2084758/hong-kong-poultry-sellers-and-farmers-urge-more?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Apr 2017 12:15:38 +0000 In a city where fresh chicken is an important tradition, Hong Kong is looking to continue the sale of live poultry despite the threat of bird flu, as the long debated idea of building a central slaughterhouse is deemed unviable. The government launched a two-month public consultation exercise on Monday to gather final feedback after a consultancy study recommended that retail sales of live poultry should be maintained and no ban imposed on imports from the mainland. Superbugs rampant in China’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2084403/hong-kong-launches-public-consultation-live?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2084403/hong-kong-launches-public-consultation-live?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Apr 2017 10:18:14 +0000 The mainland reported six new cases of H7N9 bird flu including one death in Hunan province after live poultry markets in the province were closed last month. The infections were reported in the last week of March by the provincial centre for disease control and prevention, Xinhua reported on Sunday. A total ban on live poultry trading in Changsha had been in effect since March 17 and would continue for another five days, the agency said. In March, the authorities reported an outbreak of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2084197/china-reports-six-new-bird-flu-cases-one-death-despite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2084197/china-reports-six-new-bird-flu-cases-one-death-despite?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Apr 2017 13:11:39 +0000 A team of researchers at the University of Hong Kong has cracked the mystery behind how the deadly H7N9 virus has attained a higher ability to infect humans while also being contagious among avian species, placing the city at the forefront of bird flu drug development. Scientists analysed the DNA of H7N9 virus strains collected since the 2013 outbreak, and identified a gene mutation that allowed it to adapt to human cells. The research, headed by Professor Chen Honglin of the university’s State... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2080897/breakthrough-bird-flu-study-gives-drug-research?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2080897/breakthrough-bird-flu-study-gives-drug-research?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Mar 2017 12:54:28 +0000 A 76-year-old Hongkonger is fighting for his life after being infected with bird flu H7N9 in another imported case of the potentially deadly disease. The Centre for Health Protection’s investigation showed the man had travelled alone to Fuzhou, in Fujian province, between February 11 and March 1, during which he visited a wet market, the major cause for most of the imported cases in the city. The patient, who had underlying illnesses, developed a fever and cough with sputum on March 3 and sought... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2076991/bird-flu-puts-hongkonger-76-critical-condition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2076991/bird-flu-puts-hongkonger-76-critical-condition?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Mar 2017 01:40:59 +0000 Medical experts have called for a swift investigation into the possibility that a mutation of the H7N9 bird flu virus in China was becoming resistant to a drug commonly used to treat infected people. Two patients in Guangdong province with the new and more virulent strain of the virus have shown signs of failing to respond to Tamiflu, the Nanfang Daily reported this week, citing Zhong Nanshan, an expert in respiratory diseases. Mutation of H7N9 bird flu strain found in Guangdong... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2075046/investigation-urged-strain-deadly-bird-flu-shows-signs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2075046/investigation-urged-strain-deadly-bird-flu-shows-signs?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Mar 2017 04:00:45 +0000 Guangdong housewife Zhang Yi makes no compromises on the quality of chicken for her Sunday family feasts. Once a week, Zhang scours the narrow alleyways near the Wancongyuan wet market in Guangzhou’s Haizhu district. The market has four poultry stalls but she disregards them all because she, like many other cooks in the city, is a diehard devotee of freshly slaughtered chicken – something that even the deadly H7N9 bird flu outbreak has failed to dampen. Freshly slaughtered chicken has been off... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2074206/black-market-live-chickens-thrives-china-despite-bird?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2074206/black-market-live-chickens-thrives-china-despite-bird?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Feb 2017 00:00:15 +0000 The World Health Organisation has called for Beijing to monitor whether the fatal H7N9 bird flu virus gains the ability of sustained human-to-human transmission following reports of limited cases. The virus so far has not spread among humans in most cases. From January 1 until February 23, 94 deaths from H7N9 have been reported on the mainland. China urges local authorities to do more to reduce bird flu deaths Most human cases have been traced to exposure or contact with sick poultry. In a small... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2074040/who-calls-beijing-vigilant-monitoring-h7n9-bird-virus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2074040/who-calls-beijing-vigilant-monitoring-h7n9-bird-virus?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Feb 2017 15:30:15 +0000 The cabinet has urged local authorities to step up precautions against bird flu and to keep the public informed to avoid panic about the deadly H7N9 virus outbreak. At a meeting on Thursday chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, the State Council said monitoring of the virus must be improved and wet markets closed in places where the bird flu virus had been discovered. The Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention released public notices on virus control measures five days in a row from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2073822/china-urges-local-authorities-do-more-reduce-bird-flu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2073822/china-urges-local-authorities-do-more-reduce-bird-flu?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Feb 2017 14:45:15 +0000 The region has become accustomed to news of sporadic outbreaks or isolated cases of bird flu, spread by wild birds to poultry and communicable to humans. But, such is the potential threat these viruses pose, we should be alert to changes in the pattern of health warnings or precautions adopted by the authorities. Two examples stand out over the last few days in the current outbreak of the deadly H7N9 virus on the mainland. One is the issue of stern warnings on consecutive days by health... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2073524/take-threat-bird-flu-seriously?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2073524/take-threat-bird-flu-seriously?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Feb 2017 16:47:52 +0000 Attempts by Chinese authorities to curb the H7N9 bird flu virus in live poultry markets came too late, with officials failing to take ­preventative steps before the peak flu season started, medical ­experts say. Mainland China is in the grip of the worst outbreak of the H7N9 strain since it first emerged in the country in 2013. The death toll for January alone was 79, higher than the few dozen fatalities ­recorded during the month in previous years. At least eight more deaths were recorded in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2073287/chinas-h7n9-bird-flu-measures-came-too-late-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2073287/chinas-h7n9-bird-flu-measures-came-too-late-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Feb 2017 02:48:08 +0000 China has reported the first genetic mutation of the H7N9 bird flu virus with specialists predicting the change will result in more dead poultry. The Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention ­informed the World Health Organisation that the mutation was found in samples collected from two patients in Guangdong province last month. The mutation suggested the virus had become deadlier to poultry but there was no indication it posed a greater risk to people, or made transmission among... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2072454/mutation-h7n9-bird-flu-strain-found-guangdong-patients?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2072454/mutation-h7n9-bird-flu-strain-found-guangdong-patients?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Feb 2017 15:45:45 +0000 The Chinese mainland has approved human trials of four vaccines for the H7N9 bird flu virus as authorities struggle to contain the deadliest outbreak of the disease to hit the country. In January alone, the virus killed 79 people. Among the latest victims were a 23-year-old woman and her three-year-old daughter in Yunnan province. The trials would comprise several phases, Xinhua reported on Thursday. Scientists began testing potential H7N9 vaccines on animals soon after the first human case was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2072075/china-approves-human-trials-vaccine-deadly-bird-flu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2072075/china-approves-human-trials-vaccine-deadly-bird-flu?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Feb 2017 18:01:43 +0000 China’s deadliest outbreak of the H7N9 strain of bird flu has spurred several cities to suspend live poultry trade. The live poultry trade has been temporarily halted in the cities of Guangzhou in the south, Changsha in central China, and the entire eastern province of Zhejiang, among other areas. Zhejiang alone reported 35 infections in January, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted officials saying. China death toll from bird flu soars to 79 in January Nationwide, the virus killed 79 people last... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2071443/chinese-cities-shut-markets-selling-live-poultry-bird?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2071443/chinese-cities-shut-markets-selling-live-poultry-bird?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Feb 2017 07:51:56 +0000 A new bird flu test will be conducted in the city’s wet markets in an attempt to tighten surveillance of the virus amid a spike in human infections in mainland China. The number of human cases of H7 on the mainland this winter had reached 364 by Tuesday. That surpassed the usual 200 or so cases reported in the past few years, Dr Wong Ka-hing, controller of the Centre for Health Protection in Hong Kong, said on Wednesday. Four human cases, including two fatalities, have been reported in the city... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2071132/new-bird-flu-test-hong-kong-markets-human?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2071132/new-bird-flu-test-hong-kong-markets-human?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Feb 2017 10:49:57 +0000 China reported as many as 79 fatalities from H7N9 bird flu in January, the government said, far surpassing the number of deaths in recent years and stoking fears about the spread of the deadly virus among the population this winter. The news released by the National Health and Family Planning Commission late on Tuesday brings the number killed since October to 100. January’s total far surpasses numbers for January over the past three years, which ranged between 20 and 31. Beijing joins list of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2071024/china-death-toll-bird-flu-soars-79-january?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2071024/china-death-toll-bird-flu-soars-79-january?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Feb 2017 04:14:55 +0000 Several Chinese cities are shutting down their poultry markets in the wake of a bird flu outbreak that has killed at least two dozen people this year across China. The state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday that live poultry sales have been suspended in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, as well as markets across the eastern province of Zhejiang. Xinhua reported that 21 people in Jiangsu province died in January after contracting H7N9. Beijing joins list of mainland cities... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2070385/chinese-poultry-markets-closed-after-outbreak-bird-flu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2070385/chinese-poultry-markets-closed-after-outbreak-bird-flu?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Feb 2017 06:15:13 +0000 Beijing authorities have reported the city’s first human case of H7N9 bird flu infection as the mainland tries to contain pockets of outbreaks across the nation. Several provinces have announced suspension of the live poultry trade, with Guangzhou officials warning nearly a third of its markets engaged in the business were contaminated with the virus. At least 130 cases of human infection have been reported across the mainland this year. Dozens of people have died from the virus, including 21 in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2070259/beijing-joins-list-mainland-cities-reporting-bird-flu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2070259/beijing-joins-list-mainland-cities-reporting-bird-flu?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Feb 2017 23:32:54 +0000 Guangzhou officials have advised residents to avoid contact with live poultry after one-third of poultry markets in China’s third-largest city were found to be contaminated with H7N9 bird flu. The warning was given on Thursday after the Guangzhou Centre for Disease Control and Prevention found in its latest weekly sample assessment that more than 30 per cent of local live poultry markets were contaminated with the H7N9 avian flu virus. Live poultry markets are a major source of human infection,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2070097/chinas-guangzhou-has-third-live-poultry-markets-contaminated-bird-flu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2070097/chinas-guangzhou-has-third-live-poultry-markets-contaminated-bird-flu?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Feb 2017 14:00:30 +0000 China’s Ministry of Agriculture said on Wednesday that a bird flu outbreak, the country’s fifth since last October, hit a goose farm in southern Hunan province, killing 1,054 birds. The outbreak in Yuanjiang, a city of more than 700,000 people, was confirmed as a case of the H5N6 strain of the virus, the ministry said in a statement on its website. China confirms third case of human bird flu in a week The local government culled a further 2,067 birds after the outbreak, which the Ministry of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2061508/chinas-5th-bird-flu-outbreak-hits-goose-farm-hunan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2061508/chinas-5th-bird-flu-outbreak-hits-goose-farm-hunan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jan 2017 04:26:34 +0000 A 10-year-old Hong Kong boy has tested positive for H7N9 bird flu, making him the fourth such case in the city this winter, according to the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health. Twenty-seven close contacts, who all remained asymptomatic, have been identified and will be given Tamiflu for five days. The government has also identified 70 other contacts, with four experiencing mild symptoms. The four are healthcare employees of Princess Margaret Hospital, where the boy was sent... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2061136/hong-kong-boy-10-tests-positive-h7n9-virus-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2061136/hong-kong-boy-10-tests-positive-h7n9-virus-after?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Jan 2017 02:29:42 +0000 Peak flu season may almost be upon us after the city’s health chief on Sunday warned of a sharp spike in local cases. Secretary for Food and Health Dr Ko Wing-man also expressed concern over three imported cases – including two deaths – of H7N9 bird flu, and again called on local residents who have come back from the mainland to stay away from live poultry or wet markets. “We are beginning to notice an increase in local reported flu [cases], meaning this year’s peak flu season is beginning to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2060321/health-chief-warns-city-brace-peak-flu-season?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2060321/health-chief-warns-city-brace-peak-flu-season?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Jan 2017 06:30:30 +0000 A 62-year-old Hongkonger has died after contracting H7N9 bird flu in the city’s third confirmed imported case in three weeks. The man travelled to Zengcheng in Guangzhou on December 15, the Centre for Health Protection said. On New Year’s Day, he developed a fever, cough and shortness of breath. He was admitted to Shijie Hospital in Dongguan. He discharged himself against medical advice on Tuesday and returned to Hong Kong via Lo Wu on the same day. He attended Yan Chai Hospital in Tsuen Wan... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2059854/hong-kong-man-critically-ill-citys-third-imported?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2059854/hong-kong-man-critically-ill-citys-third-imported?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jan 2017 01:30:43 +0000 Hong Kong health officials are looking into the source of a newly confirmed human case of bird flu, according to a statement released after midnight on Friday. The Centre for Health Protection said it was unsure whether the source of the infection was local or imported, prompting a call for Hongkongers to maintain “strict” personal, food and environmental hygiene at home and abroad. Hong Kong health officials ban poultry imports from three more areas after bird flu outbreaks The investigation... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2058128/hongkonger-hospital-tests-positive-h7n9-possible?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2058128/hongkonger-hospital-tests-positive-h7n9-possible?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Dec 2016 02:27:38 +0000 Hong Kong food safety officials have placed a temporary suspension on the import of poultry meat and products from three more regions – in mainland China, Japan and Poland following the detection of bird flu strains in these areas. The import ban by the Centre for Food Safety came after a confirmed case of H5N6 virus infection in Yining city in the western region of Xinjiang; the detection of a bird flu strain in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, near the city of Fukuoka; and a case of the H5N8 strain... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2057742/hong-kong-health-officials-ban-poultry-imports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2057742/hong-kong-health-officials-ban-poultry-imports?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Dec 2016 15:23:25 +0000 Wuxi will suspend its poultry trade from Thursday amid fears about bird flu, becoming the second city in Jiangsu province to halt live poultry markets. The city will close its live poultry wholesale markets, restrict vehicles carrying live poultry from entering markets and temporarily ban the entry of outside poultry, the city’s information office said on Wednesday on its official microblog. Suzhou, next to Wuxi, said on Sunday it would suspend the trade of live poultry in the interests of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2057700/chinese-city-suspends-poultry-trade-amid-bird-flu-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2057700/chinese-city-suspends-poultry-trade-amid-bird-flu-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Dec 2016 12:04:17 +0000 A 75-year-old man in the first imported case of bird flu this winter has died after being admitted to hospital following a visit to mainland China, health authorities confirmed. The Hongkonger, who went to Changping in Guangdong province in late November, passed away at North District Hospital in Sheung Shui, New Territories on Christmas Day, according to a statement from the Centre for Health Protection. The exact cause of death is not known, but the man was known to have had other underlying... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2057442/hong-kong-man-dies-first-imported-case-bird-flu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2057442/hong-kong-man-dies-first-imported-case-bird-flu?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Dec 2016 09:30:30 +0000 China has reported at least seven cases of bird flu in humans across the country this month, including two deaths, as the authorities take steps to guard against an outbreak. Five cases of H7N9 bird flu infections have been diagnosed in central Anhui province since December 8 and two people have died, state media reported. China confirms third case of human bird flu in a week Officials in Shanghai said this week that a man was diagnosed with H7N9 and is receiving treatment in a city hospital.... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2056852/number-bird-flu-cases-china-rises-seven?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2056852/number-bird-flu-cases-china-rises-seven?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Dec 2016 06:15:32 +0000 The Chinese authorities have confirmed the country’s second and third cases of human bird flu infection this week as South Korea and Japan battle to control outbreaks of the deadly virus. The new cases were in Shanghai and Xiamen in Fujian province in eastern China. Shanghai’s health authority said it was treating a man diagnosed with H7N9 bird flu. The man had travelled from the neighbouring province of Jiangsu, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning said on its website... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2056507/china-confirms-third-case-human-bird-flu-week?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2056507/china-confirms-third-case-human-bird-flu-week?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Dec 2016 02:55:10 +0000 Macau has banned the sale of live chickens for the next three days and is prepared to cull 10,000 birds at a wholesale market after reporting its first confirmed human infection with avian flu. A 58-year-old man who owns a poultry stall at the wholesale market was diagnosed with the H7N9 virus after two samples from a batch of chickens he had handled tested positive, Macau’s health bureau announced at an emergency press conference at 1am on Wednesday morning, local media reported. The man, who... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2054423/macau-bans-live-chicken-sales-ready-cull-10000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2054423/macau-bans-live-chicken-sales-ready-cull-10000?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Dec 2016 03:31:02 +0000 Japan has started culling more than 300,000 chickens and ducks after the discovery of a highly contagious form of bird flu on farms in the north of the country, local officials said. The bird flu outbreaks are the first in nearly two years in Japan and news of the cullings boosted shares in some infection-control product makers. In Niigata prefecture north of Tokyo, authorities on Tuesday started culling about 310,000 chickens at a farm in the village of Sekikawa after 40 birds were found dead... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2050043/japan-orders-major-poultry-cull-after-first-bird-flu-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2050043/japan-orders-major-poultry-cull-after-first-bird-flu-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Nov 2016 03:54:04 +0000 All live poultry in Hong Kong may soon be subjected to an extra vaccination against H7 bird flu after a recent infection at a market in the city. The suggestion by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department will be discussed by an expert panel after a study by a virologist at the University of Hong Kong confirmed the vaccine offered good protection. “If the panel believe we should implement the new measure, we will discuss it with local chicken farmers to see if they are willing to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1977750/hong-kong-chickens-could-be-given-extra-shot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1977750/hong-kong-chickens-could-be-given-extra-shot?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Jun 2016 23:01:12 +0000 An influx of alternative birds to feed a gastronomic gap in the Hong Kong market left by a ban on live chicken imports increases the risk of a deadly bird flu outbreak, an expert has warned. The concern was raised after it emerged that of the 5,643 birds that were slaughtered in a cull at Cheung Sha Wan wholesale market last week, only 48 were chickens. The rest were silkie fowl, pigeons, chukars, pheasants and quail. It’s a mistake to import these birds from China – no other country would take... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1972990/selective-ban-live-poultry-imports-puts-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1972990/selective-ban-live-poultry-imports-puts-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jun 2016 13:30:45 +0000 Sales of live chickens will resume in wet markets just in time to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival on Thursday, the health minister announced, as over 3,000 samples taken from local poultry farms were found to be clear of bird flu. But a stall in Tuen Mun’s Yan Oi Market – where a chicken stool sample tested positive for the H7N9 virus on May 16, as well as a neighbouring stall – will remain closed for 24 days for cleaning. And a ban on live poultry imports from mainland China remains in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1969411/hong-kong-government-lifts-ban-live-poultry-sales?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1969411/hong-kong-government-lifts-ban-live-poultry-sales?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Jun 2016 10:21:29 +0000 The culling of 4,500 live birds at the Cheung Shan Wan temporary wholesale poultry market began on Tuesday morning, after a faecal sample from a Tuen Mun market was confirmed to contain the potentially fatal H7N9 virus on Saturday. Officers from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, who were dressed in full personal protective equipment, including protective clothing, goggles, masks and shields, arrived at the market in the morning to prepare for the operation. Live chickens... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1966877/culling-begins-4500-chickens-be-killed-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1966877/culling-begins-4500-chickens-be-killed-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Jun 2016 05:15:15 +0000 Trading in live poultry has been suspended city-wide after the potentially deadly H7N9 bird flu virus was found in a bird’s faecal sample, leaving vendors and shoppers who relied on live ­chicken devastated. A sample of faecal droppings collected from a stall in Tuen Mun’s Yan Oi Market on May 16 tested positive for the virus, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said on Sunday. Supply and trading of all live poultry – both imported and local – has been suspended in the city during... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1965771/livelihoods-edge-after-bird-flu-discovery-sparks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1965771/livelihoods-edge-after-bird-flu-discovery-sparks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Jun 2016 04:15:30 +0000 The city will suspend its live chicken supply on Sunday after a bird faeces sample from a Tuen Mun market tested positive for H7 bird flu virus, the Post has learnt. A source said the sample was taken from Yan Oi Market last month. As a result of the finding, there may be a cull of all the live chickens in the Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market. The Post has learned that the government had not made a final decision on how long the suspension would last, but normal government... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1965394/live-chicken-supply-suspended-hong-kong-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1965394/live-chicken-supply-suspended-hong-kong-after?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Jun 2016 16:30:45 +0000 After a live chicken store at a Macau market tested positive for H7 bird flu, health inspectors are investigating if the supplier in question also supplied to Hong Kong. On Wednesday Macau’s health authorities culled all of the 15,000 live birds in a wholesale market after the test results, according to Macau media. The chickens were from a poultry farm in Guangdong province. Hong Kong’s Secretary for Food and Health Dr Ko Wing-man said on Thursday he was very concerned about the incident, but... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1909295/macau-bird-flu-case-sparks-probe-whether-guangdong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1909295/macau-bird-flu-case-sparks-probe-whether-guangdong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Feb 2016 06:12:14 +0000 The woman in Shenzhen, southern China, who caught the highly contagious H5N6 bird flu virus last week died a day after being admitted into hospital, the city’s health authority said. The municipal Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday that the patient, whose condition was reported to the authority on December 29, died in the afternoon the day after, China News Service reported. READ MORE: Woman critically ill in Shenzhen after catching H5N6 strain of bird flu The woman is the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1898097/chinese-woman-dies-shenzhen-after-catching-highly-contagious-h5n6?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1898097/chinese-woman-dies-shenzhen-after-catching-highly-contagious-h5n6?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Jan 2016 06:00:00 +0000 A woman in Shenzhen in southern China is in a critical condition after contracting bird flu, state media reported. The 26-year-old has caught the H5N6 strain of the virus, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported. She is receiving treatment in hospital, the provincial health authorities were quoted as saying. Experts believe the infection is an isolated case and there is little possibility in the near future of the virus spreading, according to the report. READ MORE: Swine flu: New strain of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1896488/woman-critically-ill-shenzhen-after-catching-h5n6-strain-bird-flu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1896488/woman-critically-ill-shenzhen-after-catching-h5n6-strain-bird-flu?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Dec 2015 04:06:04 +0000 A 61-year-old man has become the first person in Hong Kong to die of H7N9 bird flu this season, after contracting the virus during a visit to the mainland. It came as three more adults died from seasonal H3N2 influenza yesterday - taking the total deaths from flu this year to 307. The flu death toll is now higher than that of the Sars outbreak in 2003, which claimed the lives of 299 people in Hong Kong. But with the flu death rate at 2 to 3 per cent - and most victims elderly or chronically ill... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1726846/man-61-dies-bird-flu-hong-kong-after-contracting-virus-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1726846/man-61-dies-bird-flu-hong-kong-after-contracting-virus-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2015 07:38:49 +0000 Five health-care workers are in quarantine after they treated an H7N9 bird flu patient without full protective gear. The staff at the Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam were caring for a 61-year-old man who was on Monday confirmed as the city's third bird flu patient this year. He is in critical condition. The doctor, two nurses, operating theatre assistant and patient care assistant did not suspect the man had bird flu when he was admitted to the hospital. "If they suspected H7N9, staff would... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1722596/hong-kong-hospital-staff-exposed-bird-flu-patient-quarantine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1722596/hong-kong-hospital-staff-exposed-bird-flu-patient-quarantine?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2015 16:30:00 +0000