Hong Kong slaughters 17,000 chickens in new bird flu scare

Hong Kong health authorities are slaughtering more than 17,000 chickens at a market after a chicken carcass there was found to be infected with bird flu.

Officials in the southern Chinese city said today that the bird tested positive for the dangerous H5N1 strain of avian influenza. They have also banned live poultry imports for three weeks and are trying to determine whether the infected chicken was imported or came from one of Hong Kong's 30 chicken farms.

Agricultural officials have inspected all 30 farms but found nothing unusual.

H5N1 occasionally infects people who have close contact with infected poultry, particularly in parts of Asia. Globally, 331 people have died from bird flu since it was first detected in 2003.