Hong Kong culls poultry in H5N1 fight

Hong Kong ordered a cull of poultry across the city's markets today in a bid to stop the spread of the H5N1 virus between birds scattered across the territory.

Officials last week found the bird flu virus at a poultry stall in one of the city's many "wet markets" and ordered the culling of 2,700 birds over the week.

Government officials said today the virus had since spread among the island's poultry population.

"We have not found any dead chickens with the virus - not yet. We have not had any human cases," said Cheng Siu-hing, director of agriculture, fisheries and conservation.