Bird flu appears again in Hong Kong

Bird flu is in the news again following the revelation that a dead crow found recently at a local community in Hong Kong was confirmed to be H5N1 positive.

The confirmation from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department follows a battery of laboratory tests carried out on the bird and has raised concern amongst experts.

The crow was apparently dead when it was found in a park on October 15th - tests showed it was carrying the virus - this is Hong Kong's first case of the deadly strain of H5N1 virus this autumn.

Hong Kong was the location of the world's first outbreak of bird flu in humans in 1997, which killed six people.

A spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has reminded people to observe good personal hygiene, avoid personal contact with wild birds or live poultry and clean their hands thoroughly after coming into contact with them.

The H5N1 virus has infected several hundred people, but person-to-person transmission has been limited. To trigger a widespread outbreak, experts agree that the bird flu virus must infect the cells lining our noses and throats.