The authorities in Hong Kong have banned the import of chickens from mainland China as part of the battle against a new strain of influenza, known as bird flu. A government spokesman said that in addition to the ban, some 60 farms in Hong Kong would be checked, and if any infected chickens were found, the farm's entire stock would be destroyed. The mysterious disease, caused by a virus previously known to exist only in birds, has killed three people in Hong Kong. But as Henry Tang reports, there's concern that the virus has claimed a fourth victim.

Health officials in Hong Kong say that a 60-year old woman suspected of having caught bird flu has died in hospital of pneumonia, although it's not been confirmed yet if she actually had the new virus. If she is the fourth fatality of the disease, the fear surrounding the new virus in Hong Kong will intensify.

The ban on chickens from China is thus a firm response to the public mood. Before the virus was discovered, poultry imports from the mainland averaged about 75,000 birds a day and represented about 85% of Hong Kong's stock.

But with chicken sales having plummeted over the past two weeks, the impact of the ban on the public consciousness will be minimal. The Hong Kong authorities are planning more measures to ensure that chickens sold within the territory are safe.

Next week, officials will begin visiting more than 2,000 poultry stalls to sterilise them in an effort to contain the virus. Furthermore, about 60 chicken farms will be inspected for signs of contamination.

But despite these steps, the fear concerning the disease looks like it will continue. In a statement from Geneva, the World Health Organisation said it expected the current total of nine confirmed and three suspected cases to rise, not because of an epidemic, but because of closer monitoring of the disease.