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China finds more
traces of bird influenza
Reuters, SHANGHAI
Chinese officials have found traces of a new bird flu virus in more areas in
Shanghai and in the nearby city of Hangzhou, news reports said yesterday, as
authorities slaughtered birds to stop the spread of the virus that has killed
six people.
State-run Xinhua news agency said authorities planned to cull birds at two live
poultry markets in Shanghai and another in Hangzhou after samples of the H7N9
virus were detected in birds at the three sites.
More than 20,000 birds have been culled at another Shanghai market where traces
of the virus were found this week.
Officials in Shanghai ordered all live poultry markets in the city closed
yesterday, leaving food stalls empty.
Authorities also banned all poultry trading in Nanjing, although officials said
they had not found any trace of the bird flu virus and chicken on the retail
market was safe to eat, official media reported.
The new strain of bird flu has infected 16 people in China, all in the east of
the country. Six people have died and the outbreak has spread concern overseas
and sparked a sell-off in airline shares in Europe and Hong Kong.
There were no signs of panic in Shanghai, where four of the six deaths have
taken place, and people said they were not worried. However, the culling, which
has been widely publicized, did underline for some how close to home the issue
had become.
¡§Now it¡¦s just downstairs,¡¨ said weibo user Liu Leting. ¡§Suddenly I discover
that I¡¦m living in an epidemic zone!¡¨
In one city restaurant, a waitress said they planned to stop serving chicken
because of the outbreak.
¡§After we sell out the chicken in stock, we will not buy new chicken and will
stop serving chicken dishes for the time being,¡¨ said the waitress, who declined
to be identified.
While the strain does not appear to be transmitted from human to human,
authorities in China and Hong Kong said they were taking extra precautions.
China¡¦s Food and Drug Administration said it had fast-tracked approval for
intravenous anti-influenza drug Peramivir, developed by US listed biotechnology
firm BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Peramivir is in medical trials to prove its effectiveness against type-A and
type-B influenza, the administration said in a statement.
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