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HK confirms another bird death from H5N1
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-01-30 08:29
Hong Kong confirmed on Sunday that an Oriental Magpie Robin, the second this
month, died of H5N1 avian influenza and warned people to avoid contact with wild
birds for fear the disease could infect humans.
Chickens roam free through
China's Anhui province in November 2005. China has announced that a
29-year-old woman has died from bird flu, bringing the number of human
fatalities in the country to seven.
[AFP] |
The bird was found dead in a
privately owned hut in an area called Sha Tau Kok, not far from the border with
China, a government statement said.
Oriental Magpie Robins are common in Hong Kong and often kept as pets. The
government said on January 19 another one had tested positive for H5N1.
The virus made its first known jump to humans in Hong Kong in 1997, killing
six people. So far, it cannot be passed from human to human, but experts fear
the virus could mutate causing a pandemic.
A spokesman with Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation
Department reminded the public to observe good personal hygiene.
"They should avoid personal contact with wild birds and live poultry and
clean their hands thoroughly after coming into contact with them," he said.
Bird flu has killed at least 83 people worldwide since it re-emerged in late
2003, according to World Health Organization figures.
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