Hong Kong's Mai Po Nature Reserve will be closed for 21 days as
a dead Peregrine Falcon infected with the H5 virus was found
earlier this month, a government official said Wednesday.
Speaking after chairing the Inter-Departmental Action
Coordinating Committee, Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare and
Food Carrie Yau said the government will review the situation in
mid-April.
The committee has checked the government's precautionary
measures against avian influenza and related public education
efforts. It has also taken stock of the government's overall
preparedness in the light of the latest development, including
recent human avian influenza cases in Guangzhou and Shanghai.
Yau said the government will step up its efforts in disease
surveillance and public education, such as launching new public
interest announcements and conducting district-level briefings.
People should remain vigilant and maintain good personal and
environmental hygiene, as they play a key part in the government's
overall preparedness planning and preventive work against avian
influenza, she said.
(Xinhua News Agency March 30, 2006)
