Hong Kong health authorities closed down a poultry market Saturday after egesta samples collected from hencoops in the marketplace were infected with the deadly strain of H5N1 avian influenza virus.

Dr. York Chow, Secretary for Food and Health, announced at a press conference Saturday afternoon that the Po On Road Market in Kowloon an infected area of the H5N1 virus and ordered the immediate suspension of trading in the market.

He said the Department of Food and Health had began slaughtering about 2,700 chickens in the market and all live poultry imports from the Chinese mainland were suspended.

(Xinhua News Agency June 7, 2008)