Press Releases

Testing of chicken samples still in progress
Friday, October 27, 2000

The first round of testing on samples collected from a farm isolated by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) last Friday (October 20) have not found any evidence of active infection with an H5 avian influenza virus on the farm.

AFCD acting Assistant Director (Agriculture, Quarantine & Inspection), Dr Leslie Sims, said today (October 27): "So far no H5 virus has been isolated from any of the faecal samples collected on this farm."

"Testing of samples for viruses will not be completed on this farm until sometime next week. If birds on the farm are shown to be free from virus, we will allow them to be sold," he said.

Dr Sims stressed that until all tests on the Yuen Long farm were completed the farm would remain suspended from supplying the market.

"We have extended our search for possible H5 exposure to other types of poultry and have finished re-assessing all 227 chicken, pigeon and quail farms in Hong Kong. Apart from the original farm, all other poultry farms were negative on the blood test for the H5 virus.

"Whatever the outcome of the definitive tests on this farm, the chickens in the market do not pose any H5 health risk to human.

"The authority will continue to examine and test every batch of local and imported chickens destined for market before they are sold," Dr Sims added.