Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07HONGKONG45
2007-01-05 11:03:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Consulate Hong Kong
Cable title:  

BIRD TESTS POSITIVE FOR H5 VIRUS IN HONG KONG

Tags:  ECON TBIO SENV EAGR AMED KFLU HK CH 
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VZCZCXRO0395
PP RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHHK #0045 0051103
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051103Z JAN 07
FM AMCONSUL HONG KONG
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0024
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1093
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA PRIORITY
UNCLAS HONG KONG 000045 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/CM AND EAP/EP TWANG
STATE FOR G/AIAG JLANGE, RFENDRICK
STATE FOR M/MED AND M/MEDEX
STATE FOR INR/EAP
HHS FOR OGHA - STEIGER, ELVANDER, BHAT
BANGKOK FOR RMO, CDC
STATE PLEASE PASS TO USDA FOR DU/US LAMBERT
BEIJING FOR DSELIGSOHN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON TBIO SENV EAGR AMED KFLU HK CH
SUBJECT: BIRD TESTS POSITIVE FOR H5 VIRUS IN HONG KONG

REF: HONG KONG 4780

UNCLAS HONG KONG 000045

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/CM AND EAP/EP TWANG
STATE FOR G/AIAG JLANGE, RFENDRICK
STATE FOR M/MED AND M/MEDEX
STATE FOR INR/EAP
HHS FOR OGHA - STEIGER, ELVANDER, BHAT
BANGKOK FOR RMO, CDC
STATE PLEASE PASS TO USDA FOR DU/US LAMBERT
BEIJING FOR DSELIGSOHN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON TBIO SENV EAGR AMED KFLU HK CH
SUBJECT: BIRD TESTS POSITIVE FOR H5 VIRUS IN HONG KONG

REF: HONG KONG 4780


1. (SBU) Hong Kong government (HKG) officials announced that
a fast test reveals a dead bird tested positive for the H5
virus in Hong Kong on January 4. The bird, a Scaly-breasted
Munia, was one of six dead birds found on the street near an
urban shopping area on December 31. Additional tests will be
conducted on all six animals to determine if it is the H5N1
strain. As a preventive measure, Hong Kong has closed three
local aviaries and stepped up inspections of poultry farms,
wet markets, and pet shops. This is the first positive H5N1
test in Hong Kong in ten months. HKG officials state this
discovery is in line with their expectations of a rise in
positive tests for H5N1 in birds due to the annual migratory
bird stopovers that occur in Hong Kong from January to March.
END SUMMARY.


2. (U) On December 31, Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and
Conservation Department (AFCD) workers collected six dead
birds that were found on a crowded street in a popular
shopping district in Hong Kong. Preliminary tests show that
one of the birds was infected with H5, while the other birds
tested negative. AFCD will conduct additional tests on all
six bird carcasses too confirm whether it is the H5N1 strain.
During a press conference, Assistant Director of AFCD Thomas
Sit speculated that migratory waterfowl may have infected the
bird. However, citing comments by the Chairman of the Hong
Kong Bird Watching Society and the manager of a local nature
reserve, press reports note that this species of bird is rare
in urban settings like Hong Kong and speculate that the birds
may have been released by local residents as part of a
Chinese blessing tradition. Nonetheless, despite
disagreements over the cause of the infection, Assistant
Director Sit said that the positive test is an important
reminder of the need for farmers, poultry sellers, and pet
bird owners to maintain proper sanitation and hygiene for
both the animals and humans who come into contact with them.


3. (SBU) AFCD has stepped up biosecurity measures across Hong
Kong and will intensify inspections of markets and pet shops
in Causeway Bay, the urban district where the birds were
found. AFCD has contacted farmers, pet store operators,
licensed owners of pet birds, and wet market bird sellers to
remind them of the need to maintain proper sanitary
conditions and report any human or animal illnesses. The HKG
also dispatched workers to rural areas to ensure that
residents there abide by the ban against keeping backyard
poultry. In accordance with the HKG AI Preparedness Plan,
the Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD)
closed aviaries in Hong Kong Park, Kowloon Park, and the Hong
Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens -- all within the
three-kilometer radius of where the birds were found. Nature
preserves on the outskirts of the city remain open, but the
government is prepared to close them if the situation
warrants.


4. (SBU) Thomas Tsang, MD, a communicable disease specialist
at the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection, told EconOff
that the positive test came as little surprise and that the
HKG has been preparing for months for the annual migratory
bird season that traditionally lasts from January to March.
Tsang said he did not yet know whether this bird was infected

SIPDIS
with a highly virulent strain, but anticipates that
additional birds will test positive in the coming weeks.
Tsang also indicated that there is no evidence of human

SIPDIS
infection in Hong Kong at this time. He stated that the main
risk is of migratory birds infecting local poultry stocks,
but believes that Hong Kong has greatly reduced that risk by
increasing its biosecurity measures around farms and
slaughterhouses (see reftel). He noted that CHP and AFCD are
monitoring the situation closely.
Sakaue