China reports 8 new H7N9 flu cases

HEALTH authorities in China reported six new human cases of avian influenza A (H7N9) on Tuesday. The new cases brought the number of confirmed cases this year to 102, 20 of which were fatal, according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most of the cases are in Guangdong, Shanghai and Zhejiang, which has reported the highest number of H7N9 infections with 49, with 12 deaths among them. 

The rise in the number of H7N9 human cases prompted the Hong Kong government to call for vigilance, after a batch of imported live chickens tested positive for the avian flu virus. Residents were also cautioned to avoid contact with poultry, as authorities moved to shut down a wholesale poultry market.

Hong Kong residents travelling to the Mainland for the Lunar New Year holidays, which begin Jan 31, were reminded to practice personal hygiene and avoid contact with live and raw poultry.

Bird flu shuts HK wholesale market

On Monday, a wholesale poultry market in Hong Kong was ordered shut until February 18 after a batch of live chickens from Foshan in Guangdong was confirmed to have H7N9 avian influenza virus. Live poultry imports from the Mainland will be suspended during the market closure, and there will be no imports from Foshan's affected farm until it has been cleared of infection, Secretary for Food & Health Dr Ko Wing-man said.

About 20,000 live birds Cheung Sha Wan Poultry Wholesale Market were destroyed Tuesday.

Local farms will stop sending chickens to the wholesale market for three weeks and the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department will collect more samples from the farms to monitor whether local poultry have been infected.

Centre for Health Protection officers will follow up on poultry wholesalers' and poultry market workers' health conditions, Dr Ko also said.

In China, meanwhile, live poultry trading has been halted in Hangzhou, Ningbo and Jinhua cities in Zhejiang. As eight H7N9 cases, with four fatalities, have been reported in Shanghai, a ban on live poultry trading from Jan 31 to April 30 has been imposed.