January 30, 2006

Wild fowl in Hong Kong tested positive for bird flu

A preliminary test indicates that a dead wild bird found in Hong Kong may have the H5 strain of bird flu, officials said Friday--about a week after another wild bird became the first in a year to test positive here for the deadly H5N1 strain.

The latest case involved an oriental magpie robin found Thursday in a village near the border with mainland China, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said in a statement.

A preliminary test "indicated a suspected case of H5 bird flu" and "further confirmatory tests were being conducted," the statement said.

It was not immediately known whether the robin-- common in Hong Kong--had the deadly H5N1 virus that has killed more than 80 people worldwide.

The department said officials were inspecting 10 poultry farms within three miles of where the bird was found.

Last week, officials said they discovered a dead oriental magpie robin that tested positive for the deadly H5N1 virus--the first such case in Hong Kong in one year.

The robin was found Jan 10 at a village near the border with mainland China, officials said.

Bird flu has ravaged Asian poultry stocks since late 2003, killing or forcing the slaughter of millions of birds.