Routine surveillance by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has detected the presence of low pathogenic avian influenza A (H7N9) in a chicken cloacal sample from the Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market in Hong Kong. No sick or dead chickens have yet been identified at the market or in any of the local or registered mainland farms supplying chickens to the wholesale market.
The AFCD was still tracing the source of the chicken. However, as measures to protect public health, the Food and Health Bureau has decided to cull all poultry in the market and to suspend local farms from dispatching poultry to the market for 21 days.
Local poultry farm owners have expressed outrage at the measures, claiming that this was "overkill" as there was no evidence that the virus had spread.
A local English newspaper has asked The University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health to comment on the government's measures against avian influenza. As an epidemiologist in the School, write a reply to the newspaper, describing the appropriate short-term and long-term public health actions that should be taken by the government to prevent the spread of avian influenza in Hong Kong.