According to the report on CNTV.com ENLGLISH linked below, the poultry industry in Shanghai and Hangzhou (the capital of Zhejiang province) is about to change significantly (h/t Crawford Kilian's H5N1 blog post and Tweet on this).
A new plan for the use of processed poultry in place of live or freshly butchered birds will be rolled out in late February.
Brilliant news!
As you can see in the short news video, some (n=1) of the public see the sense of a change as well as the benefits of not having to deal with slaughtering and plucking chickens while others (n=1) complain that there will be a taste difference.
I've never known much truly fresh chicken (I'm more a fan of the flavours its cooked in) so in my ignorance I don't know whether I'm missing something special or not. I do know what it is to miss a bad bout of the flu though. That's something I'd go the long way around to avoid crossing paths with.
This change seems so much more in concert with a China made of glass and steel. Good work. I hope it catches on elsewhere.
Sources...- CNTV Report
http://english.cntv.cn/program/newsupdate/20140215/103244.shtml - H5N1 blog
http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/h5n1/2014/02/china-hangzhou-to-build-h7n9-prevention-system.html
Some snippets of information about H7N9 from China in recent releases include:- The description of H7N9-induced disease has changed in 2014 from an "infectious disease" to a "communicable acute respiratory disease". For what that's worth.
Still technically infectious, just more about what sort of disease. - 7 patients have died with H7N9 infection in 2014
- The incubation period for signs and symptoms to develop after H7N9 infection is 3-4-days; if patients develop severe pneumonia, it will be 3-7-days after signs and symptoms begin
- Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong said
"China will strengthen monitoring on live poultry, continue vaccine research and development, tighten international communication and cooperation in epidemic prevention and control, and publicize disease information in a timely manner" - "DNA rapid tests" (PCR-based) suggest a batch of chickens being imported into Hong Kong from Foshan, Guangdong may be H7 positive. H7N9? Further testing is ongoing. [Update - looks like they were POS as Hong Kong has suspended imports and will cull 20,000 chickens already there]
- 12 cases in Zhejiang province have died from H7N9 in 2014 alone! I have 2 listed. 7 in total 2014. Looks like we've lost traceability on the numbers again.
Sources...
