Authorities in Hong Kong have banned imports of poultry productsfrom certain places in neighbouring Shenzhen, a major city in thesouth of Southern China's Guangdong Province, following the deaththere of a man confirmed as having the deadly form of bird flu known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1. On 31 December, Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of theFood and Environmental Hygiene Department announced that an area of13 km surrounding where the patient, a 39-year-old bus driver,lived is designated an "import control zone". "The decision was made after communicating with the Mainlandauthorities concerned in accordance with established guidelines,"they told the press. The ban will be in place for 21 days, with effect from 1 January,and covers the import of live poultry and poulty products,including eggs and chilled and frozen poultry. Vinyl Cutter Plotter
A CFS spokesman said these measures are in line with a zonalapproach policy that the government set up in 2008: "Under the zonal approach policy, in the event of a confirmed humancase of HPAI infection within Guangdong Province includingShenzhen, we will suspend the import of live poultry and poultryproducts from the 'import control zone' (i.e. the area of 13 kmradius from the possible place of infection) for 21 days." The spokesman added that if there is evidence that the patient cameinto contact with poultry within 14 days of the disease starting,then the "import control zone" covers the likely implicated orrelated poultry farms, markets and other places where the patientmay have come into contact with infected birds. If no such contact is established, then the import control zone isassumed to be around the patient's usual place of residence, orwhere he was living in the 14 days up to disease onset. The spokesman said they would continue to monitor the latestsituation and take appropriate action. The zonal approach policy isa guideline for handling individual cases, but they also take intoaccount other factors such as the severity of virus spread, whendeciding how to enforce any suspensions, he emphasized. Metal CNC Router Manufacturer
The Hong Kong authorities are urging all travellers to avoid directcontact with poultry, birds, and their droppings and if suchcontact occurs, to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water. In the meantime, the Chinese health authorities are appealing forcalm and emphasizing that the strain of bird flu that killed theman in Shenzhen over the weekend is not one that transmits easilybetween humans. The Shenzhen Center for Disease Prevention and Control told thepress that the H5N1 strain is 90% similar to those previously foundin ducks in China. It suggests the bus driver most likely came intodirect contact with an infected bird, they said, according to areport from Reuters on Monday. The genetic analysis also suggests that the virus can be treatedwith the common antiviral, amantadine. China Wood Engraving Machines
In mid-December, the Hong Kong authorities ordered the cull of17,000 birds at a wholesale poultry market after a dead bird testedpositive for H5N1. The H5N1 avian virus is normally found in birds, but can sometimesinfect humans who come into contact with them. So far these is noevidence that it can jump from one human to another, butresearchers are concerned it is only a matter of time before thevirus acquires this ability, and given its current high kill rate,that this would result in a catastrophic pandemic. Written by Catharine Paddock PhD Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today Additional References Citations.
A CFS spokesman said these measures are in line with a zonalapproach policy that the government set up in 2008: "Under the zonal approach policy, in the event of a confirmed humancase of HPAI infection within Guangdong Province includingShenzhen, we will suspend the import of live poultry and poultryproducts from the 'import control zone' (i.e. the area of 13 kmradius from the possible place of infection) for 21 days." The spokesman added that if there is evidence that the patient cameinto contact with poultry within 14 days of the disease starting,then the "import control zone" covers the likely implicated orrelated poultry farms, markets and other places where the patientmay have come into contact with infected birds. If no such contact is established, then the import control zone isassumed to be around the patient's usual place of residence, orwhere he was living in the 14 days up to disease onset. The spokesman said they would continue to monitor the latestsituation and take appropriate action. The zonal approach policy isa guideline for handling individual cases, but they also take intoaccount other factors such as the severity of virus spread, whendeciding how to enforce any suspensions, he emphasized. Metal CNC Router Manufacturer
The Hong Kong authorities are urging all travellers to avoid directcontact with poultry, birds, and their droppings and if suchcontact occurs, to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water. In the meantime, the Chinese health authorities are appealing forcalm and emphasizing that the strain of bird flu that killed theman in Shenzhen over the weekend is not one that transmits easilybetween humans. The Shenzhen Center for Disease Prevention and Control told thepress that the H5N1 strain is 90% similar to those previously foundin ducks in China. It suggests the bus driver most likely came intodirect contact with an infected bird, they said, according to areport from Reuters on Monday. The genetic analysis also suggests that the virus can be treatedwith the common antiviral, amantadine. China Wood Engraving Machines
In mid-December, the Hong Kong authorities ordered the cull of17,000 birds at a wholesale poultry market after a dead bird testedpositive for H5N1. The H5N1 avian virus is normally found in birds, but can sometimesinfect humans who come into contact with them. So far these is noevidence that it can jump from one human to another, butresearchers are concerned it is only a matter of time before thevirus acquires this ability, and given its current high kill rate,that this would result in a catastrophic pandemic. Written by Catharine Paddock PhD Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today Additional References Citations.