Sausages in an intercepted package from Thailand were confirmed to have the African swine fever virus, the Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC) said on Thursday.
The Council of Agriculture’s (COA) Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, which oversees the center, said that a package was flagged by a post office in Tainan on Wednesday last week after it was found to contain sausages.
A laboratory test on Friday last week revealed that the meat carried the African swine fever virus.
Photo courtesy of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine via CNA
The sausages tested positive again in a confirmation test at a bureau laboratory on Wednesday.
It is the first time that African swine fever has been detected in pork products from Thailand, the CEOC said.
Although pork products found in the luggage of a Thai traveler three months ago had been determined to have the virus, it was unclear if the food originated from Thailand, as there was no labeling, and because the person had entered from China, the COA said.
The bureau said that Thailand has yet to report any African swine fever cases to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
The intercepted package would be returned to Thailand, with the case reported to the nation’s OIE representative, the center said.
As some of Thailand’s neighbors border China, the CEOC anticipated in a 2019 risk assessment that the virus would eventually make its way to the country through Southeast Asia, it said.
Luggage, express mail and packages arriving from Southeast Asian countries have been subjected to detailed inspections, including with X-rays, upon entry into Taiwan, the bureau said.
Taiwanese should refrain from receiving pork products from other countries, especially considering their popularity during the Lunar New Year period, as packages containing these products must be handed to a bureau-sanctioned agency to be destroyed, the CEOC said.
Under the Act for Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Disease (動物傳染病防治條例), those who do not comply with regulations could be fined from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000, the CEOC said.
The African swine fever pandemic remains a serious concern in Asia, with the virus having been found in Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, North Korea, the Philippines, South Korea, Timor-Leste, South Korea and Vietnam, it added.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
RSS