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The Ministry of Agriculture and the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will each assign a liaison person in their institutions to facilitate speedy exchange of information on infectious diseases in poultry and animals.
Speaking to the media after addressing the Ministerial Meeting on the Current Poultry Disease Situation held in Bangkok, the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, said this arrangement was agreed during his meeting with the Vice Minister of Agriculture, Mr Qi Jingfa, today (January 28).
Dr Yeoh said the Mainland authorities were very concerned at the occurrence of the H5N1 avian influenza in Guangxi and the authorities would update the HKSAR on the latest situation of the disease as soon as practicable.
Dr Yeoh presented at the Ministerial Meeting the HKSAR's preventive programme against avian influenza. The preventive programme covers various areas including vaccination, regulation of local farms, tightened biosecurity measures, import control, segregation policy of different types of live poultry, market rest days, hygiene requirements on wholesale market and retail outlet, and surveillance.
Ministers and senior officials from 11 countries, the European Union, World Health Organisation (WHO), Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and Office International des Epizooties (OIE) attended today's meeting.
Meanwhile, health and food officials held a press briefing today to update the public on further enhanced preventive measures against the possible recurrence of avian influenza in Hong Kong.
Deputy Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Mr Eddy Chan, said Hong Kong had been working closely with the State General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) of the Mainland on the exchange of information on animal diseases.
"There have been regular contacts and meetings between us and we will continue to maintain close liaison with the Mainland authorities on the latest avian influenza situation in the affected provinces," he said.
Also present at the press briefing, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Mr Gregory Leung, said the department would step up monitoring measures on the import of live poultry from the Mainland by increasing the number of serology tests on each consignment of live poultry from 14 to 18 at the border checkpoint in Man Kam To.
"We will also discuss with the Mainland authorities on the need to increase visits to poultry farms which export live poultry to Hong Kong.
"FEHD staff will step up the monitoring of the health conditions of the imported live poultry at the border crossing and at the retail markets to watch out for any clinical signs of H5 infection," he added.
The Acting Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation, Mr Lau Sin-pang, who attended today's press briefing, said that the department had a surveillance programme on wild birds to detect the presence of the H5 virus. While he noted that the wild migratory birds might have played a role in the latest outbreaks in the region, it was too early to draw any firm conclusions at this stage and that more study and research should be conducted .
Ends/Wednesday, January 28, 2004
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