Press Releases

Investigation team to look into chicken flu incident
Tuesday, February 19, 2002

The Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation, Mr Thomas Chan, said today (February 19) that the Secretary for the Environment and Food had decided to set up an investigation team to look into the recent chicken influenza incident. A report is expected to be completed within six weeks.

"We fully understand the community's concern about the recent chicken influenza incident. Thus, the Secretary for the Environment and Food (SEF) decided to set up an investigation team to look into the possible causes of the recent incident and to propose measures to reduce the likelihood of such an infection in future."

The team will be headed by the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation. Members, including an influenza expert, a veterinary surgeon, a member of the Advisory Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries, representatives from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, will be appointed by the SEF. A report is expected to be submitted to the SEF in six week' time.

"Up to yesterday, the AFCD confirmed that a total of 15 chicken farms were infected with H5 virus. Fourteen of these farms were located in Kam Tin", he said. He stressed that, at present, infected farms were confined to Kam Tin and AFCD had not found any unusual mortality rate among chickens in other farms.

"Since more farms in Kam Tin proved to be infected with H5 virus in the past few days, our department and the Environment and Food Bureau consulted the Expert Group on the control of chicken influenza yesterday.

"Experts believed that there was a possibility that the remaining eight quarantine farms were infected, due to their proximity to infected farms. They suggested that measures should be taken at these farms to prevent spread of the disease. Consequently, the Government decided to depopulate the remaining eight farms. Some 340,000 chickens will be destroyed and the operation is expected to be completed by Friday."

Experts also held the view that there was no evidence to show that the virus affecting the chicken population this time would affect humans.

"Chickens on two farms in Lau Fau Shan and Pak Sha proved to be healthy after thorough veterinary examination. These two farms can re-open immediately," Mr Chan said.

He stressed that the AFCD would monitor all local chicken farms and the poultry wholesale market closely. The department will also continue to promote good farming and management methods among local farmers to upgrade veterinary public health.