第一篇完整的英语报道,但不是我采的(2008-02-08 16:03:21)
A new regulation was announced by Hong
Kong government to prevent the spread of avian influenza
yesterday，while the World Health Organization confirmed another
two deaths from bird flu in Indonesia.
Two
Indonesians: a 12-year-old girl on the island of Java and a
48-year-old farmer on the island of Sulawesi were confirmed dead
from bird flu by WHO yesterday. The girl died on 29th January and
the man died on 1st February. Both victims had been in close
contact with infected birds prior to contracting the disease, said
Indonesian officials. Thus, bird flu has already caused 357 human
infections worldwide, 225of which have been killed since its
reappearance in 2003, according to the statistics from WHO.
As
part of government’s ongoing efforts to prevent the spread of
avian influenza in the Hong Kong SAR，the keeping of
chicken，ducks，geese，pigeons or quail in private households is
declared illegal. Government –licensed poultry farms are exempt
from the new regulations. Individuals have until Saturday, 1st
March, to surrender any banned birds to the Agriculture, Fisheries
and Conservation Department for slaughter. Anyone found in illegal
possession of the listed birds after that time will face fines of
between $50,000 and $100.000.
H5N1 is one
of the many strains of the avian influenza virus, which is
potentially lethal to both birds and humans. It was first detected
in Hong Kong in 1997, when it infected 18 people, six of whom died.
“Actually, the avian influenza started in Guang Dong province, but
it’s not reported until the influenza spread to Hong Kong.” A WHO
official said.
H5N1
reappeared in late 2003 in Vietnam and in China, killing more than
200 people worldwide. However, the virus isn’t transmitted easily
especially in human-to human infection. Despite of that, the
experts are worrying that the virus will mutate the genetic
structure, thus leading to more deaths.
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