wcaptain

Recorded location = Tai O. Probably this bird is the victim of H5N1 discarded chicken. Remember the H5N1 chicken found on a beach near Sha Lo Wan near Tung Chung a couple of months ago? This Large billed Crow may not be able to resist temptation of contaminated dead chicken at this part of Lantau and got the disease.   


ENG: http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201101/21/P201101210199.htm


CHI: http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201101/21/P201101210200.htm


大嘴烏鴉屍體證實帶有Ｈ５Ｎ１病毒
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
　　漁農自然護理署（漁護署）發言人今日（一月二十一日）表示，在恆常的野鳥屍體禽流感監察計劃下，一隻在大澳撿走的大嘴烏鴉屍體經測試後，證實帶有H5N1病毒。

　　該大嘴烏鴉屍體於一月十八日在大澳新基街被撿走。雀屍當時已嚴重腐爛，經連串的確定測試，今日取得的結果證實雀屍帶有H5N1病毒。

　　發言人表示，撿走雀屍地點的三公里範圍內沒有雞場。大嘴烏鴉是本港常見的留鳥。

　　另外，一月十七日在元朗錦繡花園垃圾站附近撿走的鵲鴝經確定測試後，亦證實帶有H5N1病毒。

　　發言人表示，政府各部門會繼續保持高度警覺，嚴格執行防控禽流感的措施。

　　漁護署已致電家禽農戶，提醒他們加強預防禽流感及生物安全措施。除家禽農戶外，漁護署亦已去信雀鳥店主、持牌飼養寵物家禽和賽鴿人士，提醒他們採取適當預防措施。

　　發言人表示，該署會巡查本地活家禽農場及批發市場，並提醒批發商注意生，確保業界採取適當措施預防禽流感。漁護署亦會繼續密切監察野生禽鳥。

　　他說：「市民應避免接觸野生雀鳥及活家禽及其糞便，並應在接觸過禽鳥後徹底洗手。市民如發現病鳥和死鳥，包括野鳥和家禽屍體，可致電1823電話中心聯絡漁護署跟進。」

　　食物環境生署（食環署）會持續監察進口活家禽和活家禽零售店鋪，並提醒店鋪經營人士注意生。

　　生署則會繼續推行公眾健康教育，提醒市民要注意個人和環境生，以預防禽流感。

　　漁護署、食環署、海關和警方，會致力堵截非法進口禽鳥活動，減低未經檢驗檢疫的禽鳥帶來禽流感爆發的風險。

　　有關預防禽流感的健康提示，可瀏覽漁護署網站內的「H5N1生資訊」（www.afcd.gov.hk）。


完

２０１１年１月２１日（星期五）
香港時間１５時３０分

Sze

Hi Captain,

Thanks for your information!

According to WHO website (http://www.who.int/csr/disease/a ... /index.html#whatare): "The highly pathogenic form is far more dramatic. It spreads very rapidly through poultry flocks, causes disease affecting multiple internal organs, and has a mortality that can approach 100%, often within 48 hours.", so I think the bird maybe infected by another H5N1 source.

[ Last edited by Sze at 24/01/2011 01:58 ]

ajohn

If dead chickens with H5N1 have washed up on the North Lantau coast, I agree with Captain that this is the most likely source. Although the time lag since the bird Captain mentions seems a long time, there have previously been similar dead birds (dead geese?) washed up on north Lantau. Dead birds like this would be an irresistable food source for crows.
Previous reports from Hong Kong have shown that scavengers such as corvids are particularly prone to H5N1 here - it is likely that these birds regularly pick up H5N1 from dead birds. Most wild species show no evidence of carrying the disease.

Sze

John! Thanks for your information!

Sze

紅嘴鷗屍禽流感病毒呈陽性反應
Black-headed tests positive for H5 virus.
The bird carcass was collected at 81 SOUTH PERIMETER ROAD, Lantau on January 24.

Lantau Island again!

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/110126/3/mf4k.html

[ Last edited by Sze at 27/01/2011 01:18 ]

Sze

About the H5N1 chicken Captain mentioned.


一頭在大嶼山撿走的雞屍對Ｈ５病毒測試呈陽性反應，
該頭雞屍於18-12-2010在大嶼山沙螺灣近海邊被發現及撿走。

Chicken carcass found in Lantau confirmed positive for H5 virus
The carcass was found and collected on 18 December 2010 at the seashore of Sha Lo Wan.


中文：http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201012/22/P201012220251.htm
ENG：http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201012/22/P201012220249.htm

wcaptain

HI John,

Of ocurse, not the infected chicken in last yr. I guess such infected chicken are regularly washed up on the NW coast of Lantau. So those unreported infected chicken could be the primarily source of H5N1 birds.

I did a short analysis of H5N1 birds in 2006-2008 and agreed that small caged birds/scavengers/raptors are mostly associated with H5N1 in urban areas or non-wetland areas.

Captain