VZCZCXRO0395
PP RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHHK #0045 0051103
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051103Z JAN 07
FM AMCONSUL HONG KONG
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0024
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1093
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA PRIORITY

UNCLAS HONG KONG 000045 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM AND EAP/EP TWANG 
STATE FOR G/AIAG JLANGE, RFENDRICK 
STATE FOR M/MED AND M/MEDEX 
STATE FOR INR/EAP 
HHS FOR OGHA - STEIGER, ELVANDER, BHAT 
BANGKOK FOR RMO, CDC 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO USDA FOR DU/US LAMBERT 
BEIJING FOR DSELIGSOHN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON TBIO SENV EAGR AMED KFLU HK CH
SUBJECT: BIRD TESTS POSITIVE FOR H5 VIRUS IN HONG KONG 
 
REF: HONG KONG 4780 
 
¶1. (SBU) Hong Kong government (HKG) officials announced that 
a fast test reveals a dead bird tested positive for the H5 
virus in Hong Kong on January 4.  The bird, a Scaly-breasted 
Munia, was one of six dead birds found on the street near an 
urban shopping area on December 31.  Additional tests will be 
conducted on all six animals to determine if it is the H5N1 
strain.  As a preventive measure, Hong Kong has closed three 
local aviaries and stepped up inspections of poultry farms, 
wet markets, and pet shops.  This is the first positive H5N1 
test in Hong Kong in ten months.  HKG officials state this 
discovery is in line with their expectations of a rise in 
positive tests for H5N1 in birds due to the annual migratory 
bird stopovers that occur in Hong Kong from January to March. 
 END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) On December 31, Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and 
Conservation Department (AFCD) workers collected six dead 
birds that were found on a crowded street in a popular 
shopping district in Hong Kong.  Preliminary tests show that 
one of the birds was infected with H5, while the other birds 
tested negative.  AFCD will conduct additional tests on all 
six bird carcasses too confirm whether it is the H5N1 strain. 
 During a press conference, Assistant Director of AFCD Thomas 
Sit speculated that migratory waterfowl may have infected the 
bird.  However, citing comments by the Chairman of the Hong 
Kong Bird Watching Society and the manager of a local nature 
reserve, press reports note that this species of bird is rare 
in urban settings like Hong Kong and speculate that the birds 
may have been released by local residents as part of a 
Chinese blessing tradition.  Nonetheless, despite 
disagreements over the cause of the infection, Assistant 
Director Sit said that the positive test is an important 
reminder of the need for farmers, poultry sellers, and pet 
bird owners to maintain proper sanitation and hygiene for 
both the animals and humans who come into contact with them. 
 
¶3. (SBU) AFCD has stepped up biosecurity measures across Hong 
Kong and will intensify inspections of markets and pet shops 
in Causeway Bay, the urban district where the birds were 
found.  AFCD has contacted farmers, pet store operators, 
licensed owners of pet birds, and wet market bird sellers to 
remind them of the need to maintain proper sanitary 
conditions and report any human or animal illnesses.  The HKG 
also dispatched workers to rural areas to ensure that 
residents there abide by the ban against keeping backyard 
poultry.  In accordance with the HKG AI Preparedness Plan, 
the Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) 
closed aviaries in Hong Kong Park, Kowloon Park, and the Hong 
Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens -- all within the 
three-kilometer radius of where the birds were found.  Nature 
preserves on the outskirts of the city remain open, but the 
government is prepared to close them if the situation 
warrants. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Thomas Tsang, MD, a communicable disease specialist 
at the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection, told EconOff 
that the positive test came as little surprise and that the 
HKG has been preparing for months for the annual migratory 
bird season that traditionally lasts from January to March. 
Tsang said he did not yet know whether this bird was infected 
 
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with a highly virulent strain, but anticipates that 
additional birds will test positive in the coming weeks. 
Tsang also indicated that there is no evidence of human 
 
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infection in Hong Kong at this time.  He stated that the main 
risk is of migratory birds infecting local poultry stocks, 
but believes that Hong Kong has greatly reduced that risk by 
increasing its biosecurity measures around farms and 
slaughterhouses (see reftel).  He noted that CHP and AFCD are 
monitoring the situation closely. 
Sakaue