From OhmyNews International:
Hong Kong is taking no chances these days when it comes to public health and Mainland China. The territory banned all Mainland poultry for three weeks beginning Friday after China confirmed its 19th case of human bird flu, bringing to a halt the 20,000 live chickens that are imported into Hong Kong daily.
This is the second such ban since March when a man died in Guangdong Province from the H5N1 virus. Hong Kong Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food York Chow said Friday, “We have a suspicion…that the virus might be more virulent,” acknowledging that it may have mutated into a strain enabling it to strike all year.
The case appears to be an anomaly because it has occurred during the warmer season and not during the colder months when it has previously struck. [Full Text]