The government announced yesterday that all sales of live poultry in the city will be stopped at least for the next three days from today after discovering the H7 strain of the avian influenza virus (AIV) in a chicken sample at the Nam Yue Wholesale Market yesterday.
The ban takes effect on the eve of the Year of the Rooster of all years. Fresh chicken is a particularly popular dish during the Chinese New Year holiday.
Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) President Jose Fonseca Tavares made the announcement during a special press conference at the bureau’s headquarters in Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro yesterday evening.
The press conference was jointly hosted by IACM and the Health Bureau (SSM).
IACM Administrative Committee member Ung Sau Hong said during the press conference that the H7 strain of the avian influenza virus was discovered in a sample from a batch of 2,000 chickens in the wholesale market.
This photo provided by the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) late last night shows IACM officials culling chickens at Nam Yue Wholesale Market in Ilha Verde.
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