August 2012
HONG KONG - Secretary for Food & Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, says a new poultry vaccine, Re-6, which is more effective in preventing avian flu H5N1 than the existing one, will be introduced to local chicken farms.
Dr Ko inspected a chicken farm in Yuen Long, the Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market, and the Hospital Authority Infectious Disease Centre last week.
Briefing the media, he said the vaccine has been introduced on the Mainland and successfully registered in Hong Kong. The Government will communicate with Mainland authorities to learn more about the use of the new vaccine, and discuss arrangements for supplying it to Hong Kong.
He hopes to introduce the new vaccine for use in local chicken farms before the end of this year.
Chair of Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology of the University of Hong Kong, Prof Yuen Kwok-yung said the control of avian H5N1 relies on infection control in poultry.
“Because the transmission of H5N1 is largely poultry to human transmission, the efficiency of human to human transmission is very low.”
Briefing the media, he said the vaccine has been introduced on the Mainland and successfully registered in Hong Kong. The Government will communicate with Mainland authorities to learn more about the use of the new vaccine, and discuss arrangements for supplying it to Hong Kong.
He hopes to introduce the new vaccine for use in local chicken farms before the end of this year.
Chair of Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology of the University of Hong Kong, Prof Yuen Kwok-yung said the control of avian H5N1 relies on infection control in poultry.
“Because the transmission of H5N1 is largely poultry to human transmission, the efficiency of human to human transmission is very low.”
