HK confirms H7N9 bird flu, to cull about 20,000 poultry

Hong Kong's food and health authority on Monday evening confirmed a H7N9 bird flu case was found at a local agricultural products wholesale market and announced it will cull about 20,000 poultry in the market Tuesday morning.

Ko Wing-man, secretary of Food and Health Bureau, announced that a live chicken sample taken among fowl imported from Guangdong Province of the Chinese mainland was tested to be positive for the deadly virus. The government has decided to suspend poultry import from the mainland and live poultry sales on local markets for at least three weeks.

The wholesale market was also identified as an epidemic spot where Hong Kong's disease control departments will give a thorough disinfection and cleaning during the suspension of sale.

It is very likely that Hong Kong residents could not buy any live poultry during the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year holidays which start on Friday, since the government also bans local chicken farms from selling live poultry within three weeks.