In the former British colony 20 thousand chickens infected were killed, all from China . So far, the H7N9 virus has killed 50 people. The WHO now excludes human to human transition. All of the victims had had contact with live birds.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews ) - The Secretariat of Health of Hong Kong has decided to disinfect the chicken market in Cheung Sha Wan, closing it for 21 days. In addition, he has decreed the culling of 20 thousand chickens from mainland China, after they were discovered to be infected with H7N9 strain of avian influenza.

In 2013, bird flu also affected humans, with 200 infected and 50 deaths in China , Hong Kong and Taiwan.

In three cities in Zhejiang , where there were 49 cases and 12 deaths , the sale of live chickens has been prohibited. Even in nearby Shanghai , the sale of live chickens was stopped for three months, as of January 31 , the first day of the Chinese New Year. During the celebrations for the New Year, the Chinese buy live chickens to kill and cook at home. This habit - along with the long journeys of migrant workers from the cities to the countryside - promotes the spread of the virus.

According to the World Health Organization, there is still no evidence that the virus is able to pass from human to human . So far, all the people who died from H7N9 had had direct contact with live and infected poultry. In Zhejiang , the government has also banned the sale of pigeons.

 

• china
• hong
• kong
• avian
• flu
• birds
• chicken
• culling
• disease
• infection