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The Bird Flu virus (H5N1) was first detected in the New Territories of Hong Kong in early 1997. This strain of virus had been previously known to infect only birds but had now crossed the species barrier and infected humans. By the end of 1997, the confirmed number of cases had reached 17, and resulted in 6 deaths. The implications for Hong Kong were enormous as Bird Flu not only threatened the health and welfare of the people of Hong Kong, it also impacted on Hong Kong''s economy and reputation in terms of international tourism and trade. In managing the Asian Bird Flu crisis, the Hong Kong Government was faced with several challenges; it needed to communicate effectively the facts of the situation, what actions had been taken to alleviate the situation, and it also had to communicate to an increasingly hysteric public both locally and internationally.