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HK Bird - A Scaly-breasted Munia 斑文鳥驗出禽流感

HK Bird - A Scaly-breasted Munia 斑文鳥驗出禽流感

News from RTHK regarding HK case of H5

http://app2.rthk.org.hk/pda/news/content.php?id=369073

http://www.news.gov.hk/en/category/healthandcommunity/070104/html/070104en05002.htm

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Distribution Map of Scaly-breasted Munia in HK

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6/1/07 明報 Mingpao

The dead Scaly-breasted Munia found earlier is a popular bird used for religious release. A study by HKU in 2005 found that AFCD’s records of munia trade was less than what was happening in the market.  AFCD acknowledged that no permit is required for importing birds from mainland China or over land but Customs may ask the trader for official animal health certificates.

內地鳥無王管 港變無掩雀籠 學者:逾萬斑文鳥來歷不明

【明報專訊】日前證實感染H5禽流感病毒的斑文鳥,是常見的「放生雀」,在市面經常有售,但這些雀鳥可能未經檢疫。香港大學研究發現,05年24次在雀仔街的巡察,均看到近3000隻斑文鳥出售,惟漁護署該年的登記數量卻是「零」;漁護署更證實,內地進口雀鳥實毋須申領許可證。事件反映香港雖嚴格規管雞隻進口,但對雀鳥的入口恍如「無掩雀籠」。學者批評港府的雀鳥貿易管制寬鬆,擔心內地雀鳥隨時會傳播疾病,威脅公眾健康。

根據《公眾衛生(動物及禽鳥)規例》,所有空運或水路輸港禽鳥須向漁護署申領特別許可證,以防疾病透過禽鳥傳入香港。但漁護署發言人證實,有關法例不適用於內地或陸路進口的禽鳥,但海關人員有權要求進口商出示內地檢疫部門發出的健康證明書。


雀仔街每次見3000 漁署零紀錄

過去兩年研究放生雀的港大生態及生物多樣性學系研究員陳倩慧指出,斑文鳥和白腰文鳥俗稱「觀音鳥」或「放生雀」,每隻售價不到5元,不少人會買來放生。她05年曾每月兩次到旺角「雀仔街」記錄放生雀的數量,又把其糞便交港大微生物學系化驗。結果發現,雀仔街的放生雀數量與漁護署官方數字有很大出入,陳每次記錄到近3000隻斑文鳥,但官方數據卻是「零」。據她統計,05年雀仔街最少買賣逾7萬隻斑文鳥及白腰文鳥,但官方統計只顯示6.6萬隻白腰文鳥從水路進口,故有上萬隻雀鳥來歷不明,包括大批斑文鳥。漁護署回應稱,未能確定沒記錄雀鳥有否內地檢疫證明。

陳倩慧說,雖然鳥糞化驗結果未有禽流感,但因放生雀被捕時會受傷,加上運輸時鳥籠擠迫,易傳播疾病及死亡。

港大感染及傳染病中心副總監何栢良指出,走私雀或來歷不明進口雀鳥未經檢疫,有機會令禽流病毒進入香港。若雀鳥送到寵物店時才發病,便有機會把病毒傳播開去,甚至進一步傳染人類,造成爆疫危機。


走私雀易帶毒來港致爆疫

生態及生物多樣性學系副教授高力行批評,雀鳥進口及檢疫制度寬鬆,斑文鳥一般不會在市區棲息(見圖),質疑日前染有禽流感的斑文鳥曾被放生,反映放生雀鳥行為已威脅公眾健康,要及早制止。

漁護署發言人說,港府未有限制市民放生雀鳥,但強調署方已要求海關加強檢查,確保入口雀鳥不會把禽流感傳港。

立法會食物安全及環境衛生事務委員會副主席李華明指出,當局絕不能對內地雀鳥入口「無王管」的問題置之不理,「檢疫規管不是做不到,除了一個理由,是因為數目太多,難做而已!」他促請中港兩地政府一定要着手做好這方面的規管檢疫工作,堵塞防疫漏洞。

明報記者 黃綺湘 陳佩儀 彭碧珊

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South China Morning Post

Saturday, January 6, 2007

Avian flu scare sparks call to halt practice of releasing birds
Experts urge ban as fears mount that blessing seekers could fuel epidemic

MARY ANN BENITEZ, NG KANG-CHUNG and CELINE SUN         

The government will renew its appeal to religious and community groups to stop people seeking blessings by releasing birds into the wild following the discovery of a dead bird with avian flu in a busy shopping district.
But an academic says only an outright ban on the practice can safeguard public health and the health of bird sellers and buyers. At least half a million birds are believed to be imported every year for release.
There is speculation that six scaly-breasted munias found dead on Sunday in Causeway Bay may have been released by people seeking blessings. One of the six tested positive for H5 bird flu. Further tests are still being carried out to determine if the flu strain is the deadly H5N1.
It is not illegal to release birds, but a spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said it "strongly advises" people against doing so.
"Captive birds stand little chance of surviving in the wild," he said.
"We had already contacted the community organisations concerned, including religious groups, to make such an appeal last year and were given to understand that these groups no longer released birds. We will remind them to co-operate with us again."
But Richard Corlett, professor of ecology and biodiversity at the University of Hong Kong, said a complete ban on releasing birds was preferable.
"It is a danger to public health because the sellers and buyers come into contact with birds and bird droppings with none of the precautions that are taken with poultry, and the birds are then released into the environment," he said.
A study by a post-doctoral student last year estimated that between 500,000 and a million birds are imported for release every year, Professor Corlett said.
"[These birds] are mostly caught in China. They are not vaccinated, quarantined or inspected, and they were transported into Hong Kong in appallingly dirty and crowded conditions. Many of them are sick and injured," he said.
Virologist Paul Chan Kay-sheung, of Chinese University, said it would be unrealistic to ban the practice.
The discovery of H5 in a dead wild bird was "a warning signal", he said, "but the level of alertness is not as high as if we found some poultry outbreaks".
A permit must be obtained to import live birds into Hong Kong, said a spokesman for the government department. Some 77,000 birds were imported last year, about 96 per cent of them from the mainland, the spokesman said.
But infectious diseases specialist Lo Wing-lok said the department would not be able to ensure all birds sold in Hong Kong were licensed.
Dr Lo said it would be better if the government would "publicly denounce the practice of bird release" to put a stop to it.
Bird traders in the popular Bird Garden in Mong Kok interviewed yesterday said munias were not popular with pet-bird keepers. They denied such birds were usually bought for live release.
One bird seller, Ms Ho Ying, said: "We know birds. And we know how to handle them with care. They are our property and we would not do anything to make them sick."
Another, Chan Lok-choi, who sells birds and bird feed, accused the government and the media of sowing panic.
"You will die, I will die, and birds will die. It is only natural. There is no point making a fuss over the death of one bird," said Mr Chan.

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6/1/07 文匯 Wenwei

Pigeon dropping littered the pedestrian path at 29 Leighton Road, where the dead munia was found.  Passers-by were used to the scene and frequent scare reports about bird flu.

Most shops at Bird Street, Mong Kok, claimed that they did not sell munias but only Japanese White-eyes and sparrows.

The Hong Kong Buddhist Association said birds were not used for religious release in recent years in view of bird flu, and that they would follow government policy to safeguard public health.

AFCD said releasing birds is not against the law but is not recommended. They have written to relevant organizations last year and understood that there is now no such release.


野鴿亂飛 市民轟預防差

【本報訊】(記者李見安、黃慧珊)檢獲「禽流毒」斑文鳥的銅鑼灣禮頓道29號行人路,昨早有食環署清潔人員進行例行清潔,不久後路面又再堆滿雀糞,為鬧市埋下炸彈。但市民的警覺性已被時有聽聞的禽流感新聞所沖淡,即使看到野鴿四處飛,亦不會戴上口罩以防感染;另有市民批評政府「臨急抱佛腳」平日卻未做好預防工作。


有事洗地 不如平日預防

禮頓道木球會前的一段行人路,向來有大批野鴿聚集,即使食環署清潔員工加緊清理現場,不久路面又會堆滿雀糞,有散播禽流感病毒的危機。途人麥先生表示,該處經常有人餵雀,希望當局加強巡查,但他個人並不擔心感染禽流感。他說:「我對這些新聞已感到麻木,我不會戴上口罩以防感染。」亦有市民表示:「這處地方數十年來都是野鴿周處飛,唔驚得咁多。」

旺角雀仔街昨日依然熱鬧,不少出售放生雀的店主均表示,並沒有出售斑文鳥,通常只會出售相思及麻雀。另有市民批評,政府一向都「臨急抱佛腳」:「出了事,洗下個地就算,這樣便可以消滅病毒嗎?不如平日多做一些預防工作比較好吧!」

每年有五至六萬隻候鳥飛臨過冬的米埔保護區,過去三年均有抽取雀鳥樣本,從未發現帶有禽流感病毒。保護區經理楊路年表示,暫無發現雀鳥有異常情況,雀鳥健康。


佛徒放生 近年少用禽鳥

對於有推測指慣於郊野棲息的斑文鳥之所以在鬧市出現,是市民放生所致,香港佛教聯合會表示,因應禽流感,近年已甚少有放生禽鳥的活動。佛教聯合會高級行政主任張毅平表示,放生活動旨在宣揚「仁心」或表現「同體大悲」的精神。他關心市民的健康及公眾衛生,在宣教時會配合政府政策。

漁農自然護理署發言人表示,雖然放生禽鳥不屬違法行徑,但促請市民不要隨意放生,因雀鳥往往不能適應環境而死亡。發言人續稱,在印發的宣傳單張中,已提醒市民不要隨意放生雀鳥,並於去年已提醒相關團體,知悉現已沒有放生雀鳥的活動。

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Of course releasing birds into the wild is not actually illegal in HK, as I said in an earlier post - not sure, why I put that - but of course it really should be on public health grounds and on environmental protection grounds.

With the Buddhist Association apparently backing the proposal I don't think there'd be any difficulty getting it passed.

AFCD's comment that they believe there are now no releases taking place because they've asked "relevant orgnaisations" not to, just shows what a complete waste of space they are.


Mike Turnbull

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7/1/07 明報 Mingpao

AFCD confirmed yesterday evening that the dead Scaly-breasted Munia tested positive for H5N1, the first in 2007.

Dr Lo Wing Lok, specialist in infectious diseases, commented that there may be cases in the New Territories through which the birds have passed but it was not necessary to start culling at this stage, strengthened monitoring, however, was required to detect any anomaly.

AFCD said social and religious groups have been reminded not to release birds.  In response to earlier reports that there was no control over birds imported from mainland China, AFCD clarified that birds imported into Hong Kong via this route must come through two registered markets in Guangdong and supported by health certificates from official veterinarians to show that they have gone through quarantine and tested negative for H5N1.



斑文鳥驗出H5N1 今年首宗

【明報專訊】漁農自然護理署(漁護署)昨晚證實,較早前在銅鑼灣檢獲的斑文鳥屍體,H5N1禽流感病毒測試呈陽性反應,是今年首宗在禽鳥身上發現禽流感的個案。

傳染病專科醫生勞永樂表示,在港島市區的斑文鳥屍體證實有禽流感,顯示雀鳥沿途飛過的新界地區亦可能存在病發情况,但現階段毋須採取銷毁禽鳥的措施。他建議政府加緊巡查禽鳥有否異常情况,市民加強注意個人衛生、不應進行「放生鳥類」活動。漁護署亦表示,已聯絡社會及宗教團體,提醒不應進行雀鳥放生活動。


漁署﹕內地輸港鳥須來自註冊場

另外,漁護署表示,內地入口本港的雀鳥,必須來自兩個廣東省的註冊鳥場,並附有由官方獸醫發出的衛生證明書,證明雀鳥經檢疫隔離並通過H5禽流感病毒測試,除由內地有關當局巡查監察外,漁護署也不時派員巡視,發言人認為現時內地鳥來港並非沒有監管。

發言人表示,從內地進口的雀鳥均須符合香港法例第139章公眾衛生(動物及禽鳥)規例的要求,包括衛生證明書的規定並接受檢驗。

不過,由於該例並沒有要求從內地進口的雀鳥申請入口許可證,只是要有效健康證明書,並且在本港當局要求下才出示,因此,港大學者質疑執法當局一旦缺乏抽查進口雀鳥,沒有健康證明書的雀鳥便可隨便入口。

本報昨日報道香港大學研究發現,05年見到在雀仔街有近3000隻文鳥出售,但同年漁護署的登記數量卻是零,港大生態及生物多樣性學系副教授高力行便質疑本港的雀鳥貿易及檢疫制度寬鬆。


不排除有「走私」

漁護署發言人亦承認,現行法例已授權海關人員,要求有關人士進口雀鳥時出示衛生證明書,但不排除有「走私」情况發生,署方已聯絡海關加強抽查。

立法會食物安全及環境衛生事務委員會副主席李華明表示,不排除海關巡查時有漏網之魚,讓未檢疫的雀鳥入境。他促請中港兩地政府做好把關工作,「例如在文錦渡規定有關人士出示批文、衛生證明才進關口,並非海關間中抽檢」。他承認,最佳方法仍是修改現行法例,堵塞漏洞。

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