For more headlines like this, please subscribe to Afrihkanews.com
HONG KONG - Hong Kong has halted the import of poultry and related products from certain regions of the United States, Britain, and Poland due to outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu.
The Centre for Food Safety issued the directive to protect public health, following notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about H5N1 outbreaks in these areas. The affected regions include Stanislaus and San Benito counties in California, Barron County in Wisconsin, Johnson County in Arkansas, Darke County in Ohio, and Bent County in Colorado in the United States.
In Britain, East Devon is impacted, while in Poland, it is the Goleniowski district of the Zachodniopomorskie region. Hong Kong has been in contact with the authorities in these countries and will closely monitor information provided by WOAH and the relevant authorities.
The suspension is not expected to have a significant impact on the local catering industry, as most businesses primarily rely on imports from mainland China, particularly Guangdong province. The ban on US poultry products from certain regions in the US has been implemented in recent months due to bird flu outbreaks.
Additionally, preliminary testing indicated that a migratory Eurasian teal found at the Mai Po nature reserve in Hong Kong may have had the H5 bird flu virus, leading to increased cleaning and disinfection measures in visitor facilities.
禽流感爆发：香港停止从美国、英国和波兰部分地区进口家禽产品
由于爆发高致病性H5N1禽流感，香港已暂停从美国、英国和波兰某些地区进口家禽及相关产品。
继世界动物卫生组织 (WOAH) 通报这些地区爆发 H5N1 禽流感疫情后，食品安全中心发布了保护公众健康的指令。 受影响的地区包括美国加利福尼亚州的斯坦尼斯劳斯县和圣贝尼托县、威斯康星州的巴伦县、阿肯色州的约翰逊县、俄亥俄州的达克县和科罗拉多州的本特县。
在英国，东德文郡受到影响，而在波兰，受影响的是 Zachodniopomorskie 地区的 Goleniowski 区。 香港一直与这些国家当局保持联系，并会密切留意WOAH及有关当局提供的资料。
预计此次暂停不会对当地餐饮业产生重大影响，因为大多数企业主要依赖从中国大陆（尤其是广东省）进口。 由于禽流感疫情爆发，美国部分地区近几个月开始实施对美国家禽产品的禁令。
此外，初步检测显示，在香港米埔自然保护区发现的一只迁徙的欧亚水鸭可能携带H5禽流感病毒，因此加强了游客设施的清洁和消毒措施。
Comments