More accurate tests will now be used to detect antibodies to the bird flu virus in live poultry.
The new tests will be used to screen mainland poultry imports.
For each batch of 1,000 chickens, twenty tests will be carried out. If the chickens are tested positive, it could either mean they are infected with bird flu or they have recovered from it.
So if the chickens are tested positive, DNA tests will be carried out on 120 chickens from the same batch. And if again positive, the chickens will be culled and the Cheung Sha Wanwholesale market will be closed for three weeks for disinfection, and live chicken sales in Hong Kong will be suspended.
If however, the DNA tests come back negative then mainland authorities will only be notified and chicken supplies won’t be affected.
Source: RTHK
Photo: Hector Garcia, Flickr
