Man, 65, with H7N9 bird flu critically ill
Thursday, February 13, 2014
A 65-year-old man with H7N9 bird flu was in critical condition last night at Kwong Wah Hospital - the fifth such case in Hong Kong.
Three men have died from the virus in the SAR.
In the latest case, the man had been to Kaiping in Guangdong province from January 24 to last Sunday. His family bought a slaughtered chicken from a village in Kaiping on January 29.
The man developed fever and cough on Saturday and consulted a private doctor in Hong Kong the following day. He was admitted to Kwong Wah on Tuesday, and transferred to an isolation ward.
Seven of his family members showed no symptoms of infection, while five close contacts will be admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital for observation and testing.
Meanwhile, the government has been identifying a site that may be used to segregate mainland poultry from local birds while waiting for quarantine clearance, said Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man.
Ko said that a number of factors are being considered, including proximity to local residents, drainage and electricity and water supplies.
A 21-day ban on poultry sales comes to an end on Wednesday. It was imposed after mainland poultry tested positive for H7N9 at the Cheung Sha Wan wholesale market.
Asked if the former government farm in Ta Kwu Ling is suitable, Ko said: "I do not want to comment at the moment regarding the choice of location.
"If the poultry is placed there and the test is positive, chickens in the nearby farm have to be culled as well."
In Guangzhou, health authorities culled more than 5,000 chickens at the Luo Gang wet market after 3,000 chickens were found dead yesterday.
But a spokesman said none of the dead chickens tested positive for H7N9.
HILARY WONG
