It's not an epidemic, but it has occurred again. A man died from it after contracting it after visiting relatives, who also reared chickens, in China. While I was in HK during my Christmas break, culling of chickens was always in the news. My Uncle works in the imports of fresh stock to HK, and chickens are part of the imports. Alot of work goes into checking the chickens by testing them. If the chickens need to be culled, more investigation is needed to find its origin. Well, it was not as bad when I was in HK, but it still happens nonetheless. It does not deter me from having chicken in HK though, since it is part of our staple diet. I don't think Chinese can eat rice without chicken (as well as pork, fish and vegetables). And who can resist the chicken cooked in so many different methods in the food mecca that is HK!
The article - No Human Gene Found in Hong Kong Bird Flu Virus (from reuters.com)