A sample batch of live poultry imported from the mainland was yesterday tested positive for the H7 avian flu virus, the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau announced. None of the chicken from the farm that is the source of the H7 positive sample has been put on the market.

The public health contingency response mechanism was activated shortly after the find, which prompted a series of control measures that included culling and sterilisation.

The sample that tested positive for the H7 virus in a batch of quarantined live chickens came from Jin Feng Poultry Farm (Registration No. ZHP203) in Doumen, Zhuhai.

The poultry wholesale market was sealed off immediately after the virus was detected yesterday; it was then thoroughly cleaned and sterilised after the culling of about 7,500 chickens.

The sale of all live poultry in Macao has been suspended for 21 days from today, in line with the World Health Organisation guidelines.

The authorities said there had been no report of any resident contracting the virus so far, but they would remained vigilant.