Another case of bird flu in Hong Kong

It appears that a sick egret found in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong last week has tested positive for the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus.

Agricultural officials say the egret which was found in a park on November 18th in the New Territories area, was infected with the deadly strain of the virus and died the following day.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) have issued reminders to the public about the dangers of close contact with wild birds and poultry and the importance of maintaining good personal hygiene.

So far this year more than a dozen wild birds have been discovered sick or dead in Hong Kong because of bird flu.

The H5N1 strain of the virus has killed more than 200 people and decimated poultry flocks worldwide since 2003.

Hong Kong has not suffered a major outbreak of the disease lately and aggressively monitors bird flu; the first documented cases of the disease in humans occurred in the territory in 1997 killing six people.

That outbreak prompted the slaughter of about 1.5 million birds.

Experts continue to fear the H5N1 strain of the virus will eventually mutate into a form easily transmissible among humans and trigger a flu pandemic.