Bird flu: HK halts SA imports
2004-08-07 09:07
Hong Kong - Hong Kong has temporarily suspended the import of live birds and poultry meat from South Africa after the avian flu was reportedly detected in ostriches, the government said on Saturday.
The ban - which affects about just 0.1 ton of Hong Kong's 800 000 tons of poultry meat imports each year - will stay in place while officials obtain more information from the South African authorities, Health, Welfare and Food Bureau spokesperson Sally Kong said.
The H5N2 bird flu virus was reportedly found in ostriches in the Eastern Cape, the government said in a statement. The strain is less dangerous than the H5N1 flu, which has ravaged chicken farms across Asia and crossed over to claim 24 human lives in Thailand and Vietnam.
Hong Kong hasn't been hit by the latest outbreak, but it remains on guard after a 1997 epidemic killed six people here.
- AP