“Applications to import chicken meat and poultry products from areas with avian influenza outbreaks will not be approved," said Macau's Institute of Municipal Affairs (IAM).

In a statement, the IAM said it was concerned about the outbreaks of bird flu recorded not only in Portugal but also in Hungary and South Korea.

The institute promised to "continue to strictly control fresh food imported and sold in Macau through an effective import inspection and quarantine mechanism."

Hours earlier, neighbouring Hong Kong had also announced a ban “to protect public health”, following a notification from the World Organization for Animal Health.

The territory imported around 110 tons of frozen chicken meat from Portugal in the first nine months of 2024, according to official data cited in a statement from the Center for Food Security (CFS).

The CFS said it has already contacted the Portuguese authorities and that it will "closely" monitor the situation and the information issued by the World Organization for Animal Health.

"Appropriate measures will be taken in response to the developing situation," the statement said.

Avian influenza was detected on a laying hen farm in Sintra, Lisbon, and control and eradication measures were applied, the General Directorate of Food and Veterinary (DGAV) announced on Monday.

“On January 3, an outbreak of infection by highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (GAAP) was confirmed on a laying hen farm, in the municipality of Sintra, district of Lisbon”, reads a note from DGAV.

Control and eradication measures have already been implemented and include inspecting the location where the disease was detected, slaughtering infected animals and cleaning the facilities.

Restrictions on movement have also been imposed and farms with birds in restricted areas (within a radius of 10 kilometres around the outbreak) are being monitored.

DGAV also asked all operators to report any suspicion of disease, highlighting that early detection of outbreaks “is essential for the rapid implementation of control measures”.

The Directorate-General for Health (DGS) has reported that there is no record of people with symptoms or signs suggestive of human infection by the H5N1 virus, detected on the chicken farm in the municipality of Sintra.

In a statement, the DGS highlighted that the transmission of this virus to humans "is a rare event", with sporadic cases recorded globally, and that "the virus is not transmitted through the consumption of meat".