Bird Flu Hong Kong Case Confirmed

HONG KONG — Hong Kong has confirmed its first case of human bird flu in seven years.

Health Secretary York Chow said late Wednesday that a 59-year-old woman had tested positive for H5N1 bird flu after returning to Hong Kong from the Chinese mainland, and is in serious condition in a local hospital.

With the announcement, the government raised the bird flu alert to "serious," meaning there is a risk of contracting the disease within the territory.

Chow said Hong Kong officials were meeting Thursday and would determine whether additional measures are needed to safeguard local residents.

The bird flu virus first struck Hong Kong in 1997. Six people died in that outbreak and all chickens in the territory were culled.

Comments

[ella129]

10:45 AM on 11/20/2010

I'm not one to panic, but I read a book about the 1918 flu epidemic that gave me nightmares. An aggressive flu strain can kill millions of people, usually a few times per century and we're overdue. The talking heads may get dramatic about it, but the flu is a nasty beast.
That said, it's genuinely strange that people panic so much when they could just get a flu shot.

[AZreb]

08:39 AM on 11/20/2010

Since global travel is so common now, will we see TSA checking incoming passengers for medical symptoms of the flu? Gotta keep them there guv'mint people workin'. ya know.

[pandolfini21]

09:41 PM on 11/19/2010

Nothing beats the good old _cocaine flu.

[Peabodies]

08:18 PM on 11/19/2010

Oh no! Did someone call Stephen Colbert? FEAR is back!!

[BKearney]

07:24 PM on 11/19/2010

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NO WAIT THERE'S BIRDS IN THEM THERE HILLS AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Ayla87]

12:53 PM on 11/19/2010

Well it's about time! I was beginning to thing that there would be no major 'epidemic' to wring our hands over this year.

[grange]

09:22 AM on 11/19/2010

They need to come up with a new name

Bear flu ?

Crocodile flu

Dinosaur flu ?

[ragtag]

09:46 AM on 11/19/2010

Flew Flu

Fu Manchu Flu

Bird Drop Flu

Hong Kong Fluey

[VioletsAreBlue12]

01:43 AM on 11/20/2010

Chop fluey.

[Sara Lira]

08:20 AM on 11/19/2010

Everybody get ready here we go again... pandemic... news... alarm... new vaccine...massive campaigns .. yep it was time.

[LaFemmeSASE]

09:13 PM on 11/18/2010

There was a sign posted at my job after the recent swine flu epidemic which stated that hundreds die from swine flu and everyone wears a mask, millions die from AIDS and people still refuse to wear condoms. People should do whatever it takes to protect themselves from all diseases,not just the ones that create global panic and hysteria and results in the killing of birds, cows, pigs and whatever other animal decides to contract a deadly flu

[coastalcarla]

05:48 PM on 11/18/2010

We need to bring back the old "Rainbow of Doom" from 2004 - it was very handy in making sure everyone was sufficiently frightened when they wanted us to be.

[Rand]

04:19 PM on 11/18/2010

Are we supposed to panic yet?
 
I'd really hate to be late

[rougebaisers]

01:33 PM on 11/18/2010

So how much is big pharma going to make by scaring the bird out of everyone with this flu?

[Paulo1]

11:40 AM on 11/18/2010

Great, some canary comes down with the sniffles and now we are going to have our semi yearly case of plague hysteria. Yeah, yeah, I know we're all going to die, the President has to DO SOMETHING (he'll make a nifty speech of course) then we'll all stand in line for a limited amount of vaccine that won't be available until after flu season.

Plague scares are so predictable now adays

[garder54]

12:09 PM on 11/18/2010

Ever think that becaues of the hysteria surrounding these supposed "plagues" is the reason they they never come to fruition?

[neo-moderate]

12:20 PM on 11/18/2010

6 dead people is hardly a plague...the reason these plagues never come to fruition is because they are not plagues. The hysteria is media hype...probably driven by some obscure corporate conglomerate with a sizable investment in the company with the best vaccine. Believe me, if profit wasn't involved, we would not hear so much about it...

[ecotopian]

05:41 PM on 11/18/2010

And here I thought it was the lack of human to human spread which prevented the bird flu from becoming a plague. Who knew it was because of hysteria?

[Simple Living]

11:08 AM on 11/18/2010

Makes ya wonder if its intentional.....