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Dead bird in H.K. tests positive for H5N1+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)HONG KONG, Jan. 19_(Kyodo) _ A dead bird found in Hong Kong last week has tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, the government said Thursday. It is the first confirmed case of bird flu in a year in the territory bordering China, where migratory birds are believed to be spreading the virus in different provinces, infecting at least nine people and killing six of them since 2005. Thomas Sit, assistant director of agriculture, fisheries and conservation, said it remains unknown how the Oriental Magpie Robin was infected. "The bird is a resident species in Hong Kong and can be found in the city area," Sit said. "How it got infected or where it got the virus is still unknown at this stage. Similar to cases in other parts of the world, it is difficult to trace the source of infection." The robin was found on Jan. 10 by a villager in a rural bush area of the New Territories, and it is one of the 1,500 bird samples taken since October. Chicken farms within a 5-kilometer radius were all clear of the virus, Sit said. He said there is no cause for alarm but still warned the public not to come into contact with wild birds. Hong Kong can still be considered a bird flu-free area because according to the definition of the World Organization for Animal Health, bird flu is present in an area only if poultry is infected, he said. The virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu virus has affected about 150 people and killed around 80 since 2003, according to the World Health Organization. |