The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) will discuss with Hospital Authority today on the possible measures against avian flu after it was informed of a Shenzhen man who was tested positive.

Leung Pak-yin, controller of the centre, said last night that they were prepared to relaunch the system for monitoring pneumonia and watch for flu patients who had visited Shenzhen or Guangdong recently.

The centre yesterday received a notification from the Health Department of Guangdong Province and Ministry of Health over a suspected human case of H5N1 infection in Shenzhen.

A CHP spokesman said the patient was a 31-year-old man from Shenzhen. He developed fever and pneumonia on June 3 and was admitted to hospital on Sunday night. His condition is stated to be critical.

It was reported that the patient, a truck driver who does not drive across the border, had visited a local wet market where live chickens were on sale. Doctors said his family members have not shown any identical symptoms. He had no contact with Hong Kong people lately.

Results of tests conducted by health authorities of Guangdong and Shenzhen had been positive, pending final confirmation by the China Disease Prevention and Control Centre.

Guangdong's Health Department said details of diagnosis of the patient will be available today. Leung said the centre's experts were also ready to visit the mainland to gain more understanding and offer possible assistance.

Control points

The spokesman, however, said the department's Port Health Office was vigilant and maintained temperature screening for the inbound travellers at all immigration control points. Health education for the travellers will be enhanced at all immigration control points through distribution of leaflets and displaying of health messages.

Even though Hong Kong had been free from human avian flu case since early 2003, the CHP had asked the public to remain vigilant given the large volume of population flow across the border everyday.

The Centre for Food Safety of Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will also step up inspection on the health and hygiene conditions of the chickens imported from the mainland.

The Shenzhen case has alarmed the members of the local medical sector.

Kwok Ka-ki, who chaired Legislative Council's Panel on Health Services, told Radio Television Hong Kong last night that given the proximity and huge volume of interactions between the two places, Hong Kong might face a very high risk.

He suggested that the hospitals should raise their warning level from "alert" to "emergency", and that the import of live and chilled chicken from Shenzhen be halted until the issue was clarified.

Epidemiologist Lo Wing-lok told Commercial Radio that the case showed that the avian flu virus was still alive. He pointed out that many mainland birds that had contracted the disease did not manifest the symptoms.

Should the disease continue to spread, he suggested, Hong Kong ought to suspend importing live poultry from the infected areas. As for the residents travelling to Shenzhen, they would not run into any risk if they stay away from poultry, he said.

Guangdong Province had a human case of H5N1 in February, when an unemployed resident Lao Qiliang, 32, in Guangzhou developed symptoms of fever and pneumonia on February 22 and died on March 2.

The provincial health department said he had frequented the markets where poultry was slaughtered before sale. It was believed that this was the cause of his infection.

Editor: Yan