China's poultry industry may be in trouble again. Hong Kong began to cull 20,000 chickens on Tuesday in an effort to curtail the spread of bird flu, a disease that has already killed two, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Bird flu is more technically known as the H7N9 avian influenza virus. It was first detected in samples imported from mainland China, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. The findings caused the government to take drastic actions; Shanghai has halted the sales of live poultry from the first day of the Chinese New Year.
The actions aren't all that surprising considering the spread of the flu. In recent weeks, China has seen a spike in cases of the virus. Since the strain was first reported in Shanghai in February 2013, it has affected 246 individuals in mainland China, according to CNN. In addition, 56 have died from the disease.
So why the sudden spike in cases? Lunar New Year celebrations may be partly to blame.
"When the chickens are overcrowded, at the time of festivals like Christmas, Chinese New Year, and there are no bio-security measures taken, then the virus spreads through poultry very quickly," said Kwok-Yung Yuen, chair of infectious diseases at the University of Hong Kong, in an interview with CNN. "It's also possible that travelers will bring live poultry back to their own villages."
Currently, Hong Kong plans to step up inspections as poultry accumulates at local producers due to the market closure, according to Bloomberg BusinessWeek. This will hopefully halt the spread of the virus. In addition, China's central government plants to investigate to ensure that mainland farms are following biosecurity measures. In the meantime, it seems that fresh poultry will be a bit scarcer in Chinese markets--something that's put a damper on the holiday celebrations in the country.
