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        Special Topics 特別主題 >> Wild Birds & Avian Flu 野鳥與禽流感 >>  H5 - esp H5N1 - +ve birds in HK, early 06 香港雀鳥有H5
        
(Message started by: martin on Feb 4^th, 2006, 6:23pm)

Title: H5 - esp H5N1 - +ve birds in HK, early 06 香港雀鳥有H5
Post by martin on Feb 4^th, 2006, 6:23pm

Not sure if new thread worthwhile, as cases increase.

H5N1 confirmed:
Now have single magpie robins from near Tai Po and Sha Tau Kok;
Crested mynah from Wong Tai Sin;
[and chicken from Sha Tau Kok]

H5; more tests awaited
Now, H5 test apparently positive for Common Magpie, Sham Tseng (nr Tsuen Wan)
http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200602/04/P200602040170.htm

Puzzling pattern, to me anyway.
I'd figured captive birds perhaps for magpie robins and crested mynah; maybe infected in or via markets (after poultry influx over CNY, inc to Guangdong, led to more H5N1 in markets).
Magpie, though - not so often captivity? Scavenged carcass of infected bird??

Title: Japanese White-eye w H5 in Mong Kok
Post by martin on Feb 8^th, 2006, 11:44pm

Now a Japanese White-eye, evidently positive for H5, found dead at school in Mong Kok.
Common wild bird; but of course common in captivity too, and found near bird markets.
The egret has proved H5N1 positive.

Title: Re: H5 - esp H5N1 - +ve birds in HK, early 06 香港
Post by Bob Thompson on Feb 9^th, 2006, 7:15am

Are other countries reporting H5N1 deaths in so many native wild birds or is it just in Hong Kong ? From all the reports I have read, it is only Hong Kong.

http://app2.rthk.org.hk/pda/news/content.php?id=286821

Title: Re: H5 - esp H5N1 - +ve birds in HK, early 06 香港
Post by martin on Feb 11^th, 2006, 10:00am

I think all identified cases in wild birds are being reported (chiefly in reports to OIE - Int organisation on animal health), but HK surveillance is surely stronger than vast majority of places.
[seems, too, officials don't hide infectons in wild birds - unlike at times with poultry]

Here's a list of species known to have been infected by H5N1:
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/avian_influenza/affected_species_chart.jsp
[on US Geol Survey, National Wildlife Health Center - yes, wildlife not rocks! - site; guy there, Hon Ip, seems clued up, occasionally quoted in media]

If bulbul at Mong Kok school proves positive, I wonder re place where birds drink (how else to infect a white-eye and a bulbul, unless were from captivity?)

Title: Mong Kok Magpie
Post by martin on Feb 20^th, 2006, 10:13am

Dead magpie found in Mong Kok 17 Feb looks H5 positive.

Seems some clustering around Kowloon - tempting then to wonder re a source in bird market.

Yet:

Quote:

AFCD staff inspected stalls in the Bird Garden in Mong Kok today and found nothing abnormal among the pet birds there for sale.

“We have maintained close surveillance of pet bird stalls in the Garden with daily inspections. Collection of swab samples from the stalls will be further increased,” the spokesman said.

More than 200 swab samples are collected from local pet bird stalls each month to test for avian influenza viruses, including those of the Bird Garden. Test results were all negative.

http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200602/18/P200602180167.htm

Even so, looks like bird market still open, tho looking suspicious. Other places where H5N1 found lately still operating as normal (school, say).
Mai Po - yet to record H5N1 I believe - still closed.
???

Title: more H5 positive birds; H5N1 similar to Korea 2004
Post by martin on Feb 23^rd, 2006, 5:50pm

Slowly, list of wild birds with H5 increases, with four more resident songbirds/crows, Kowloon and HK Island.

Quote:

HONG KONG, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Virus samples taken from wild birds found dead in Hong Kong recently were closely linked to a strain of the H5N1 virus that surfaced in Japan and South Korea in 2004, but not the one spreading in Europe, a top scientist said.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HKG87382.htm

Though - wouldn't you know it - article includes suggestion this virus is entrenched in wild birds (in Asia), no real evidence is given.
Even with Japan case that's mentioned, smuggling/trade remains a possibility for introduction of virus.

Just emailed Dr Malik Peiris, who's quoted in article:

If this H5N1 virus indeed entrenched in wild birds (Reuters, quoting you), why such an odd assortment of species in Hong Kong - all resident (well, little egret likely is), and mainly songbirds; why such tendency to be in Kowloon and on HK Island?
How to infect, say, a white-eye or a magpie robin?
Why the flurry of cases after around Chinese New Year, when two chickens positive?
And, why all the tests of healthy wild birds coming up negative for this strain? Indeed, H5N1 in general appears very rare in healthy wild birds.

Very curious, I think.

(As Russia, reportedly, prepares to deter wild birds from nesting this spring - at least in Nobosibirisk, as wild birds believed by some to be major H5N1 vectors. Are conservation implications. [Could also add re Mai Po closed here])

- further thoughts (not in email):
Malik P among team who came up with notions birds carried a different strain (let's call it "Qinghai") from H5N1 from Poyang to Qinghai and onwards. Even though found two genotypes in six ducks (yes, just six) at Poyang.
Yet, now suggesting Korea 2004 endemic in this region, HK-Japan. If so, you'd think it would also be the strain at Poyang, wouldn't you? (as Poyang and HK pretty much on same flyways for some birds; cf no direct migration routes linking Poyang and Qinghai?)

So far, too, appears Korea 2004 is lethal to wild birds, which doesn't really make them great carriers. (Qinghai does pretty good job of killing a lot of birds; I'm sceptical re evidence of asymptomatic ducks - just how significant this is.)

Meanwhile, more info surfaces re poultry smuggling, massive production of chicken manure fertilisers for fields and fishponds (even chicken manure fertiliser from China reaching Serbia). Not that the FAO is about to tell us much about this it seems.

Title: house crow w H5 - again, urban area
Post by martin on Feb 25^th, 2006, 5:58pm

Quote:

Preliminary testing of a House Crow found dead in Shek Kip Mei has indicated a suspected case of H5 avian influenza, a spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said today (February 24), adding that further confirmatory tests are being conducted.

The carcass was collected by AFCD staff on Tai Hang Tung Estate following a public referral on February 23.

As for three earlier suspected cases involving a dead Large-billed Crow found in Yau Yat Tsuen, a dead Munia found on Repulse Bay Road, and a dead White-backed Munia found in Wan Chai, the spokesman said all of the birds were confirmed to have H5N1 virus after a series of laboratory tests.

http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200602/24/P200602240258.htm
- so, H5N1 being spread in HK by wild birds ... dead ones, that is! (Any apparently healthy wild birds tested positive yet?)

Meanwhile, SCM Post reports AFCD saying it's ok for people to kill house crows and pigeons.
Crazy times!

Title: magpie - HK Island
Post by martin on Feb 26^th, 2006, 10:22am

now, a dead common (black-billed) magpie, Hong Kong Island:

Quote:

The carcass was collected by AFCD staff on Island Road following a public referral on February 24.

http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200602/25/P200602250210.htm
Another corvid (crow/magpie) - ie another scavenger, near the city.

Maybe these magpies/crows are finding smaller birds such as munias (released at Chinese New Year??); or birds dumped by people who'd kept a few chickens etc, or ...?

But, it's ok to go to Southern District; not so Mai Po.

Title: Re: house crow w H5 - again, urban area
Post by little_dolphin on Feb 26^th, 2006, 10:06pm

on 02/25/06 at 17:58:30, martin wrote:

Meanwhile, SCM Post reports AFCD saying it's ok for people to kill house crows and pigeons.
Crazy times!

At least they are introduced species...
Someone's got to wipe out the house crows sooner or later... Nobody mentioned killing native birds YET.

Title: Re: H5 - esp H5N1 - +ve birds in HK, early 06 香港
Post by martin on Mar 5^th, 2006, 1:01pm

Why have they got to wipe out the house crows?
May be the case: but we brought them here, created habitat they clearly like.

Lull in cases at present; two house crows and a magpie confirmed w h5n1 late Feb. All dead - as with all wild birds found to have H5N1 in Hong Kong so far.

Pattern perhaps:

Around Chinese New Year, H5N1 arrived in at least one smuggled chicken, a sign of arrival in Guangdong (markets). Another chicken also died w h5n1; unknown origin.
Similar time: egret (resident?) died; also a few songbirds, all of which just may have been from captivity. (How to infect, say, a wild white-eye?)
Records in wild - and "wild" birds concentrated around Kowloon, and later HK Island.
Shift to crows/magpies - scavengers.

Where could the crows/magpies have contracted H5N1? Maybe scavenging dead birds with the disease - but where; and were these from markets?

Now, likely human case Guangzhou, from guy who'd often been to poultry markets. Evidence the virus indeed at least recently present in Guangdong market(s); wonder if came in from other provinces during heightened demand Chinese New Year.

Hong Kong relatively calm. Here's email from birder in Germany:

Quote:

Back at home I realised, that the situation was out of control in Germany. At work I had applications for removal of House Martin nests (I work in the department of Species Conservation of the city of Berlin), veterinarians closed down our wild bird rescue station, and I was asked, whether children still could play in parks. In eastern Germany the first White Stork nestes are to be removed, and in one state in SW-Germany a law to shot down ervery strange flying bird is in serious discussion.

Bad times; I've never known re wild birds being scary, other than in Hitchcock's film The Birds.

Though the crows are introduced (like many of our landbirds!!), killing house crows is just part of a very bad message to the public.

Title: Re: H5 - esp H5N1 - +ve birds in HK, early 06 香港
Post by little_dolphin on Mar 5^th, 2006, 2:42pm

on 03/05/06 at 13:01:22, martin wrote:

Why have they got to wipe out the house crows?
May be the case: but we brought them here, created habitat they clearly like.

OK, let me rephrase that: We should control the numbers of house crows. cause they are more aggressive in getting food and nest sites compared to local birds. They also have a pretty darn high reproductive rate, so they'll be all over the place before we knew it, like what happened in Singapore and Cape Town.

Let me emphasise this: I am totally AGAINST killing crows just because some irrational guys claim they are spreading H5N1. And yes, killing crows now will bring a misleading message to the public. And I am disgusted if they really did try to shoot crows in the open. But we should still keep an eye on the house crows, make sure they don't displace other native species so much.

This BBS has a pretty thorough discussion on the House Crow problem below. We can also review our attitutes towards crows before the H5N1 epidemic.

The House Crow Problem (http://www.hkbws.org.hk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Conservation;action=display;num=1082847709)

Title: Re: H5 - esp H5N1 - +ve birds in HK, early 06 香港
Post by martin on Mar 8^th, 2006, 10:37am

Just seen that AFCD now has pdf file for download, with H5N1 infections in birds this year.
Useful; as well as species and dates, includes a map.

Indeed shows broad pattern (tho v small data sample for being conclusive re pattern), with some infections New Territories, shift to Kowloon and HK Island.
Also, indeed in "wlld" birds trend from songbirds (maybe inc captives?) towards corvids.

http://www.afcd.gov.hk/news/news_e.htm