Avian Flu Trade Bans Mount

HONG KONG - Jan 28/04 - SNS -- The Hong Kong government has joined other countries in the region in banning imports of live birds and poultry meat from Indonesia, Pakistan and Laos on account of the suspected outbreak of avian influenza in them.

Hong Kong had earlier banned poultry imports from Thailand and Cambodia. As with other bans in the region, they are temporary and will stay in place while the problem persists.,

Interestingly, Japan is looking at relaxing its ban on Thailand. That country is one of Japan's most important poultry suppliers and Japanese officials are considered allowing imports of cooked meat, while still blocking imports of raw meat and live birds.

According to the World Health Organization, the H5N1 avian influenza virus is only spread by contact with live birds. For this reason, the practice of marketing live poultry directly to consumers should be discouraged in areas currently experiencing outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza among poultry.

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