Asia bans homes from raising poultry!

Here's some poultry news from around the world:

The avian influenza virus, aka The Dreaded Bird Flu, is spreading in Africa.

Meanwhile, the government of Hong Kong bans homes from raising poultry! Here's an excerpt from an article found at Bloomberg's

Hong Kong Bans Homes Raising Poultry; Bird Flu Spreads in Iraq

Feb. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong announced regulations on residents keeping poultry in a bid to prevent the spread of the bird flu virus, as the World Health Organization said the disease may have reached an area of southern Iraq.

Households will be banned from raising chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons and quails in backyards from Feb. 13, Hong Kong's Health, Welfare and Food Bureau said today in a statement on its Web site. Residents will face fines of as much as HK$100,000 ($12,900) for violating the regulations.

Iraq is treating seven people for suspected bird flu in the country, where a possible third fatality indicates the lethal virus may have spread to the south, the WHO said. Most patients ``have reported a history of direct contact with diseased poultry,'' it said.

At least 19 countries have reported outbreaks in birds, which risks infecting people and increases the chance that the virus may change into a form capable of causing a lethal flu pandemic. Such a virus may touch off a pandemic similar to the one that killed as many as 50 million people in 1918.

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