Experts Fear Bird Flu’s Spread in Asia

By MARGIE MASON

HANOI, Vietnam – Bird flu forced chicken off Dinh Tuyet Anh’s altar last year, but she will make up for it this Lunar New Year with two birds at her family feast. It’s a trend across many parts of Asia, where poultry sales are booming ahead of the region’s biggest holiday.

With hundreds of millions of people and poultry on the move before the weekend festivities, experts hope bird flu does not explode. But after three years of warnings about the H5N1 virus, many Asians say they are ready to bring in the Year of the Pig with plenty of poultry.

"Last Tet we did not eat chicken. It seemed like our Tet was not a complete one," said Anh, who bought two chickens at a Hanoi market. She served pork last year during the Lunar New Year, known here as Tet. "It is lucky that this Tet we will have chicken."

Bird flu outbreaks have surged recently, hitting several countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. The virus has affected both rich and poor nations, infecting turkeys this month at a farm outside London, while continuing to kill people in Indonesia.

The H5N1 virus has killed at least 166 people worldwide since it began ravaging poultry stocks across Asia in late 2003. It remains hard for people to catch, but experts worry the virus may mutate into a form that passes easily among humans. So far, most human cases have been traced to contact with infected birds.

Animal and human health officials pay special attention around the Lunar New Year in Asia because poultry is central to many traditions, including offering chicken on altars to ancestors. Just as Thanksgiving isn’t complete in the U.S. without turkey, chicken or duck are the meats of choice for most Lunar New Year’s feasts.

More birds are being moved, smuggled, handled, slaughtered and eaten now than at any other time of the year in Asia, which increases the risk of outbreaks. And the holiday comes during winter, when the virus is typically at its worst.

"Across the region, people will be on the move going back to their families and quite often, they take chicken with them," said Peter Cordingley of the World Health Organization. "So, you’ve got people moving out of what may be infected areas into non-infected areas. The virus can travel in thousands of ways. It can travel on your shoes, it can travel on your bag … it survives outside the body for a long time."

The WHO does not recommend that consumers avoid poultry, but instead stresses hygiene and caution during slaughtering and preparation. Poultry and eggs are safe to eat when they are properly cooked.

In Hong Kong, where several wild birds recently tested positive for H5N1, scores of women lined up at a market to buy live chickens.

"Steamed chicken is the main dish for Chinese New Year, everyone in my family loves it," said Jenny Kwan. "Live chicken brings luck to the family."

In China’s biggest city, Shanghai, many people also were not letting bird flu fears trump tradition. But some restaurants removed poultry dishes from their menus.

"I understand that people in Shanghai now are not that concerned about bird flu, but it’s always good to be careful," said Yuan Chen of the catering staff at Hua Xia Hotel, which dropped chicken and duck from its dinner fare.

But the popular Shanghai Zhangshengji restaurant had no such concerns.

"One of our famous dishes is duck soup, and we also serve other chicken and duck dishes," said a manager who gave only her surname, Wang. "We can guarantee our food quality and customers have never shown any worries about bird flu."

WHO representative Henk Bekedam in China said animal surveillance is still lacking in many countries, and more work must be done to change risky practices, such as people and poultry sleeping under the same roof during winter.

In Taiwan, officials have warned people to be mindful of bird flu during the holiday. Vietnam also has stepped up bird flu controls, including banning duck blood pudding in restaurants and ordering more careful scrutiny at its borders to prevent smuggling.

But many Vietnamese are not afraid.

"We are selling more this year than any of the previous years," said Trinh Thi Duyen, who has sold chicken for 20 years. "Last year, because of bird flu, I had to change to selling beef instead. The business was not as good as selling chickens."

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AP writers Vu Tien Hong in Hanoi, Diamond Cheng in Hong Kong, Chris Bodeen in Shanghai and Stephan Grauwels in Taiwan contributed to this report.