Commentary
Dead
H5 Confirmed Waterfowl in Hong Kong Raise Concerns
Recombinomics Commentary
20:16
January 31, 2009
The carcasses of a goose and a duck were found and collected on January 29 at a beach near Sha Lo Wan football pitch.
Today AFCD staff collected another dead duck at the same location. The spokesman said there were no poultry farms within three kilometres of where the carcasses were found.
The above comments describe lab confirmed H5 in waterfowl in Hong Kong (see updated map). Dead waterfowl that are H5 positive are almost always H5N1 positive. The discovery of these three birds is cause for concern. They were found at a location which is adjacent to Hong Kong International Airport. Moreover, one of the drivers of the cullers has developed symptoms, which he had prior to collection of the birds, raising concerns that he is H1N1 positive, which is likely to be Tamiflu resistant, based on H1N1 circulating in Hong Kong at this time.
He was also likely to have been on prophylactic Tamiflu, as part of the culling team, raising concerns of an H1N1 / H5N1 dual infection leading to Tamiflu resistant H5N1.
More information on the status of the suspect case, and the sequence data of the H5 from the waterfowl, would be useful.
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