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■漁護署去年底銷毀長沙灣家禽批發市場共1.7萬隻活雞。 資料圖片
長沙灣家禽批發市場有死雞證實帶有H5N1禽流感，漁護署去年底銷毀批發市場一共1.7萬隻活雞，並暫停入口內地活雞及停止本港雞場出雞21日。事實上，禽流感病毒不斷變異，本港爆發禽流感的風險亦相應提升。即使採取多項防疫措施亦難以杜絕，始終對市民健康構成威脅。而且，為防疫而殺雞所產生的對雞販、雞農的賠償問題，更是沒完沒了，成為納稅人的包袱。以市民健康為重，政府還是應該下決心實施中央屠宰，以更為徹底有效地防範禽流感。
眾所周知，防範禽流感最有效、最徹底的方法就是實施中央屠宰。可惜中央屠宰計劃討論了十多年，最終前年政府以當時的禽流感風險已不大，以及經濟效益太低為由擱置計劃。本港專家指出，南中國候鳥的病毒基因有改變，不排除香港也有同類情況，而且此次事件特別之處是病毒入侵活雞，若活雞感染禽流感，可把病毒傳播予人類，風險比候鳥染病更高。現時活雞的市場佔有率已降至6%，市民的飲食習慣亦已被迫慢慢改變，愈來愈多人接受冰鮮雞和雪藏雞。為市民的生命健康著想，政府應該重新考慮實行中央屠宰。
Be determined and introduce central slaughtering
A dead chicken found in Cheung Sha Wan Wholesale Poultry Market was tested positive with H5N1 avian flu virus. Following this, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department ordered a cull of totally 17,000 live chickens in the market at the end of last year, and at the same time, suspended the import of live chicken from the mainland and banned the supply of live chicken by local farms for 21 days. In fact, avian flu virus has kept on mutating and thus the risk of an outbreak in Hong Kong increases accordingly. It is nearly impossible to eradicate the virus even if multiple preventive measures are adopted. The health of the people will always remain under threat. Moreover, culling chickens as a means to preventing an outbreak requires making compensation to retailers and farmers. It is a problem that will not go away easily and will ultimately turn into a burden on taxpayers. For the sake of public health, the government should indeed make up its mind and introduce central slaughtering, which is the way to really curb the avian flu epidemic effectively and thoroughly.
It is widely known that central slaughtering is the most effective and thorough way of preventing avian flu. Unfortunately, the year before last, after over a decade of discussions, the government decided to put the central slaughtering scheme on shelf, citing reasons that the risk of avian flu was not high then and the economic benefit was too low. However, local experts in Hong Kong have pointed out that the genes of the virus which incubates in the migrating birds of southern China is mutating and it cannot be ruled out that the same situation has taken place in Hong Kong. The recent incident is special that the virus has attacked live chickens and if live chickens are infected, they may possibly pass the virus onto human beings. The risk is much higher than when infected migrating birds are infected. At present, the market share of live chicken retailing has dropped to 6%. The dietary habit of the people has been made to change gradually, as more and more people have grown accustomed to chilled and frozen chickens. Putting the health of the people first, the government should reconsider introducing central slaughtering. ■Translation by 東明 tungming23@gmail.com
逢周五見報
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