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Dead chickens in Shenzhen farm tested negative to
AI virus

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    In response to a media report that a large number of live chickens were buried at a farm in Po An county in Shenzhen due to abnormal health conditions shown among the poultry, a spokesman for the Health Welfare and Food Bureau today (April 11) said a report was received from the State General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) which confirmed that some of the chickens in the farm had been found to have respiratory tract disease.

    Initial tests on avian influenza virus were conducted on other live chickens in the farm and all results were negative, he added.

    According to AQSIQ, 203 chickens had died between April 3 and April 10 in the Po An chicken farm which supplied chickens to Hong Kong. The veterinarian in the chicken farm had conducted autopsy and found the presence of mucus in the respiratory tract and signs of digestive tract inflammation.

    To prevent affecting other live poultry in the farm, the chicken farm decided to destroy some 8,000 chickens in the two chicken sheds in which the dead chickens were found.

    Shenzhen Entry-exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau sent a team to the farm for investigation on April 10. The live poultry in other chicken sheds had no abnormal health condition.

    Quick tests on avian influenza virus were conducted on other live chickens in the same farm and all results came back negative. For further protection, the Shenzhen authorities had also inspected other chicken farms in the vicinity which supply chickens to Hong Kong and found no abnormal condition occurred.

    The spokesman said, "Respiratory tract disease is not uncommon in chickens.  The disease would not affect human being and therefore would not pose a public health threat.

    "It is not abnormal to find dead chickens in farms. The usual mortality rate in chicken farms is about five per cent.  The concerned farm in Shenzhen has raised a total of around 100,000 live chickens and the mortality rate this time is only about 0.2 per cent.

    "This incident has demonstrated the notification mechanism on zoonotic diseases between Hong Kong and the Mainland are working well.

    "Besides, we would continue our quarantine and inspection work on imported live poultry and monitor the situation in local farms in accordance with the established arrangements."

Ends/Monday, April 11, 2005

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