190 Food Safety, Environmental Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries
Prevention of Streptococcus Suis
The AFCD advised farmers on the proper disposal method for pig carcasses after a number of human cases of Streptococcus suis were reported in Sichuan in mid July. On August 2, revised licensing conditions for pig farms came into effect.
Enhanced Measures against Avian Influenza
According to the agreement made between the Mainland and Hong Kong, all imported chickens from the Mainland are vaccinated against H5 avian influenza. In addition, the FEHD conducts regular visits to registered export poultry farms on the Mainland and exchanges information with relevant Mainland authorities to ensure that all export poultry farms are up to standard.
To reduce the virus load in retail markets, the FEHD imposes two 'rest days' every month at live poultry retail outlets. On these days, all trading of live poultry is suspended to facilitate thorough cleansing and disinfection of the premises concerned. Prior to the 'rest days', all live poultry in the retail outlets have to be slaughtered.
The department has prescribed additional conditions for operators of fresh provision shops and market stalls selling live poultry to minimise the risk of the avian flu virus spreading. These conditions require the operators to wear protective clothing including aprons and rubber boots and to wear rubber gloves when handling and bleeding live poultry; and erect a transparent acrylic panel segregating the poultry cages at the shop front from the pavement or common passage. They should also prevent customers from touching live poultry. In July 2004, the Government introduced a voluntary scheme offering existing live poultry retailers an ex gratia payment for surrendering their fresh provision shop licences or stall tenancies in FEHD public markets so as to reduce the number of live poultry retail outlets. The voluntary scheme was extended to August 2006.
There were outbreaks of avian influenza in the region and the first human case in Mainland China was reported in 2005. The Hong Kong SAR Government activated the Alert Response Level based on the latest epidemiological situation of local influenza and risk assessment in accordance with the pandemic contingency plan. The AFCD continued its monitoring work and implemented biosecurity measures at local farms and wholesale markets.
AFCD staff inspected local farms and collected samples from chickens for testing for avian influenza to ensure that the chickens in every consignment had been vaccinated with the H5 vaccine and had reached the required protective level of antibody before marketing.
During 2005, the AFCD maintained import restrictions on eight countries. (Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, South Africa, Malaysia and Pakistan) and temporarily suspended the importation of live birds from nine countries/ territories (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Romania, Mongolia, Croatia, Ukraine and Mainland China) due to reported outbreaks of avian influenza. The restrictions on Malaysia, Pakistan and South Africa were