February 13, 2006

Dead fowls in Hong Kong tested positive for bird flu

A dead chicken and Japanese White-eye egret found in Hong Kong have tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, the government announced Friday, Feb 10, the latest in a recent series of bird flu cases to surface in the territory.

Both birds were collected in urban districts since late last week. The White-eye was found near a local school.

Hong Kong has not seen a large-scale bird flu outbreak since 1997, and it has been largely spared from the recent outbreaks in Asia. But the territory has seen a streak of bird flu deaths in birds in recent weeks.