The ban on live poultry imports from Shenzhen farms will remain in place in the near-term, the food and health chief said.

According to The Standard, Ko Wing-man said as human cases of H7N9 bird flu have been detected in Shenzhen, any scrapping of the ban on live birds from there will not be considered.

This comes as Hong Kong this week confirmed its third case of H7N9 bird flu, with a 65-year-old man in critical condition at Queen Mary Hospital.

Initial checks by the Centre for Health Protection show he travelled to Shenzhen with his family on 1 and 2 January, and they passed a wet market on New Year's Day. In Hong Kong, the patient did not visit any wet markets but sometimes walked past Pei Ho Street Market, Sham Shui Po.

Ko said health officials are investigating how the man became infected.

Further Reading

You can visit the Avian Flu page by clicking here.