Hong Kong bird flu outbreak prompts mass slaughter
Pastor Dale Morgan
Hong Kong bird flu outbreak prompts mass slaughter*
* Story Highlights
* Hong Kong officials to slaughter all live poultry in the
territory's street markets
* Health workers killed 3,500 poultry on Saturday after deadly virus
discovered
* Government bans supplies of live poultry from mainland China and
local farms
HONG KONG (AP) -- Hong Kong officials say they plan to slaughter all
live poultry in the territory's street markets after detecting the
dangerous H5N1 bird flu virus.
Health workers in Hong Kong are slaughtering chickens after a bird flu
outbreak.
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Director Cheung Siu-hing said
tests returned Wednesday showed birds infected in four markets.
Cheung has not said how many birds will be killed. She says the virus
has not been detected in samples from local chicken farms and
distribution centers.
Health workers killed 3,500 poultry on Saturday in a market after
routine testing showed five chickens were infected with the virus.
The government has also temporarily banned supplies of all live poultry
from mainland China and local farms.