A fecal sample from migratory birds taken outside Tainan has tested positive for the H7N3 strain of bird flu, government officials said yesterday -- the second time the strain has been detected in Taiwan.
The discovery was reported by officials from the Council of Agriculture (COA). Huang Guo-ching (
Huang said that officials will be able to better assess the threat after tests are completed in the next two days.
PHOTO: CHIANG CHI-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Scientists are most concerned about a different strain, the deadly H5N1 that has killed more than 60 people in Asia. But H7N3 is still worrisome, because it can also be transmitted to humans.
The first local case of H7N3 was discovered in Guandu (
Huang said that samples will be taken from every chicken farm within a 3km radius of where the H7N3 virus was found in Tainan, for the next three months.
"If any of the poultry are found to have the H7N3 virus, they will be culled," he said.
H7N3 was first detected in turkeys in Britain in 1963 and appeared in Canadian poultry in April and May last year, according to the World Health Organization and World Organization for Animal Health.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC), under the Department of Health (DOH) has been informed of the situation, and the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health inspection in Tainan has been asked to put up signs reminding the public not to get close to birds.
Huang reported that the sampling for avian flu virus of migratory birds has been ongoing, with 2,475 samples taken this year. Samples have been collected from a 524 chicken farms, 85 duck farms and 52 goose farms.
He emphasized the importance of putting up protective covers over poultry farms, to prevent infected migratory birds from passing the virus to local chickens.
Meanwhile, Department of Health officials reported that the National Health Research Institute and the Pharmaceutical Industry Technology and Development Center, who have been commissioned to do research on the drug Tamiflu, will hopefully enter the production stage of a generic version by the end of March next year. Tamiflu is one of the only know drugs that is effective in treating bird flu in humans.
Officials estimate that 60kg of the drug, which will be enough for 600,000 people, will be produced in the first batch.
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