Preliminary testing of two dead birds collected in Kowloon has indicated suspected cases of H5 avian influenza, a spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said today (January 18), adding that further confirmatory tests are being conducted.
One of them was a dead White-eye collected by AFCD staff on Convair Drive, San Po Kong on January 15 after being alerted by a member of the public. The other involved a dead House Crow collected by AFCD staff from Lai On Estate, Sham Shui Po on January 16 upon referral from the Housing Department. The White?eye is a common resident bird in Hong Kong but the House Crow is an exotic species.
“We have been actively monitoring the population of House Crows and will continue to deploy effective measures to reduce their number,” the spokesman said.