About 17,000 chickens were culled at a farm in Yunlin County yesterday, while nearly 6,000 broiler ducks were killed at a farm in Pingtung County on Thursday as fears over another avian influenza outbreak intensified.
Following the culling of 6,040 ducks in Chiayi on Friday after 200 ducks died from the highly contagious avian influenza virus H5N8, 17,000 free range chickens at a farm in Yunlin’s Yuanchang Township (元長) were killed yesterday due to H5N2 infection, while 5,780 broiler ducks were killed at a farm in Pingtung’s Sinyuan Township (新園) on Thursday after they were found to have contracted a highly pathogenic H5 subtype virus, Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Director-General Chang Su-san (張淑賢) said.
The three affected farms lie within a 1km radius of farms that had reported avian influenza contagion, Chang said.
Photo courtesy of the Chiayi County Livestock Disease Control Center
It is clear that the areas have not been thoroughly disinfected and the viruses remain active in these areas, she said.
Chang added that it is possible that, in addition to migrant birds, epidemic prevention officers or vehicles that have not been thoroughly disinfected, might have transmitted the virus.
It was the second time that birds at the Yunlin farm were found to have been infected with avian flu, the Yunlin Animal and Plant Disease Control Center said, adding that the farm — which installed fences to block wild birds from entering the premises in line with epidemic prevention regulations — resumed poultry farming after the first outbreak following a period of idle operation and trial farming.
Typhoon Soudelor damaged the fences, possibly exposing farm animals to wild birds or viruses that are still active in the area, the center said.
The owner of the Chiayi farm said that its ducklings were transported from a farm in Yunlin’s Taisi Township (台西).
However, the Yunlin center said it is unlikely that the duckling farm was the source of contagion, as the incubation period of avian influenza is about two weeks, whereas the culled ducks at the Chiayi farm were about 70 days old, meaning they were likelier to have been infected after being transported from the duckling farm.
Ducklings at the Taisi farm have shown no obvious symptoms, and all eggs have been steamed and disinfected, the center said, adding that they are still awaiting the results of tests on the farm.
The bureau would take samples from all the farms within 1km of the affected farms, and any operator that refuses inspection would be fined between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000 (US$914 and US$4,572), while those who fail to report the erratic death of any farm animals face a maximum fine of NT$1 million, Chang said.
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