HONG KONG - Customs High Alert

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   HK on alert for bird flu cases

Monday, February 6, 2006 Posted: 0527 GMT

HONG KONG, China (Reuters) -- Hong Kong has put customs officers on 

high alert and tightened surveillance to stop people smuggling birds and 

poultry into the territory after a handful birds have been found with the 

deadly H5N1 avian influenza.

It has also strengthened communications with mainland China on illegal 

bird trafficking, and York Chow, health chief of the former British colony, 

was traveling to the neighboring city of Shenzhen on Monday to meet 

border officials.

"Front line customs officers have been put on high alert and examination 

of suspicious imported cargo and baggage has also been increased," 

Chow Kwong, assistant commissioner of Hong Kong's boundary and ports 

authority, said in a statement.

The border tightening comes two days after Hong Kong announced that 

preliminary tests showed a dead magpie was infected with bird flu. It was 

still not clear if it was H5N1, but if confirmed the magpie would be the 

fifth bird in a month in Hong Kong with the virus.

It also comes days after government health experts said 

H5N1 was probably endemic to the region, despite the fact that 

Guangdong, the huge and prosperous province next to Hong Kong, has 

not reported any bird flu cases.(abbreviated)

 http://edition.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/02/06/birdflu.vaccine.reu t/index.html