Some 35,000 chickens on a farm in Hsinkang Township, Chiayi County were due to be slaughtered yesterday in an effort to contain the transmission of bird flu, the Council of Agriculture said.
"We're prepared to slaughter all the chickens on the farm at 5pm tonight," council Deputy Minister Hu Fu-hsiung (
As of press time, council officals had not destroyed all of the chickens.
The council said that as a precautionary measure five additional chicken farms within a 1km radius of the affected farm had undergone thorough inspection and that all samples had returned negative results to the virus tests.
The council stressed that the virus strain had been found during standard inspection procedures on Jan 8. Lab results on Jan. 15 later confirmed that chickens on the Chiayi farm had indeed contracted the H5N2 virus strain.
The council's Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine said yesterday that the H5N2 virus strain was a weak subtype of avian flu and was not known to be transmittable to people.
The more pathogenic H5N1 virus strain has caused the deaths of at five people in Vietnam.
Another 20,000 chickens were slaughtered last Thursday on an egg farm in Fangyuan township (芳苑鄉), Changhua County where the H5N2 virus had also been discovered.
"Even though the chickens from both farms were infected with the same virus strain, the chickens on the Chaiyi farm probably were not infected by the Changhua farm chickens. Because one was a chicken farm and the other an egg farm, it is unlikely that the groups of chickens ever had any contact," said the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Deputy Director Yeh-ing (葉瑩).
According to the bureau, it is too early to rule out the possibility that the virus' is transmitted by water fowl.
Center for Disease Control Director General Su Ih-jen (蘇益仁) also stated yesterday that flu vaccinations would be provided for chicken and duck farm employees in central and southern Taiwan. According to the agricultural council and the disease control center, of the 5,000 chicken and duck farm employees in the country, roughly 4,700 have already been vaccinated.
Yan Jer-jea (
Su said that chicken handlers were under observation and are to report any sign of fever.
In addition, the center clarified that the four Changhua County officials who had reported flu symptoms after having aided in the slaughter of chickens had tested negative for the H5N2 virus strain.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
RSS