Poultry traders in Hong Kong Tuesday threatened legal action over the government's decision to ban live chicken and duck imports from China because of rising bird flu fears, dpa reported. The three-week ban was imposed Monday after the death of a 32-year-old man in the neighbouring southern Chinese province of Guangdong after he visited an urban poultry market. The Poultry Wholesalers Association said Tuesday it would take the Hong Kong government to court if it failed to explain the ban and sought an assurance that the ban would not be extended. However, Hong Kong health minister York Chow Tuesday afternoon defended the ban, calling the latest case "worrying" and insisting the chicken ban was necessary and prudent. Association members called the action unjustified and said their business would be heavily hit as most chickens and ducks sold in Hong Kong come from southern China. A spokesman for the group said members wanted an assurance from the government that the ban would be lifted after three weeks provided there were no further human infections in Guangdong. The 32-year-old man from Guangdong died last Thursday, nine days after being admitted to hospital with flu-like symptoms and was later confirmed as having contracted the H5N1 bird flu virus. The case in Guangdong has raised fears that human infections will spread to Hong Kong, which has so far avoided any cases during the current outbreaks. Chow told reporters Tuesday that the death was worrying because the victim had not visited the countryside and only came in contact with poultry through an urban market. "His only exposure (to poultry) was in the wet market," the health minister said. "We also know Guangdong province is one of the best provinces (of China) in terms of supervising the control of avian flu. "We would like to allow time for the authorities to investigate the case to see whether there is any change in the virus or any problem with the vaccine or any other factors in the wet market that may have contributed to this infection." Hong Kong witnessed the first ever human cases of bird flu in 1997 when 18 people were infected, of whom six died. The outbreak was the first known instance of the virus jumping the species barrier. Since then the territory has set up strict regulations on the farming and selling of chickens. These include vaccinating poultry at farms and regular clean-up days at wet markets. In recent weeks, a number of wild birds have been found dead with the H5N1 virus, raising fears that it is only a matter of time before the virus jumps to humans in Hong Kong.
