Macao has announced a ban on poultry products from parts of Hungary, Portugal and South Korea that have been stricken by avian influenza. Authorities in Hong Kong yesterday issued a ban on chicken and eggs from the same areas.
The ban follows one imposed by Macao last week on poultry products from parts of Poland, South Korea, the US and Canada, and comes as the world braces for a surge in bird flu, with the virus mutating into more transmissible forms.
On Monday, the US announced its first human death from the H5N1 bird flu virus. The patient was a 65-year-old from Louisiana who had underlying health issues and had been in contact with chickens and wild birds. The US reported 58 cases of human infection last year.
[See more: Flu cases are rising in Macao as peak season approaches]
Human cases in China currently remain low, with only one infection registered in 2024.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that the general public’s risk of contracting the virus remains “low” for the time being, and that preventive measures should focus on individuals who are regularly exposed to livestock and fowl.
According to the United Nations, bird flu has already found its way into 108 nations across five continents, resulting in the deaths of over 300 million birds and crossing the species barrier to infect some 70 types of mammal.
