Fourth and Fifth Confirmed Cases of H5N6 Avian Influenza: Level-One Response Center Established
After highly pathogenic H5N6 avian influenza virus was detected in Hualien, Yilan and Tainan, Council of Agriculture (COA) Minister Lin Tsung-hsien yesterday proposed that the central government establish a level-one response center. Unexpectedly, before the first meeting, Lin Tsung-hsien, who serves as commander, suddenly pointed out that existing confirmed cases had already spread to a traditional market in the Chiayi area, and after the meeting the COA further stated that Hualien, where the H5N6 virus was first detected, had seen a fifth case. For this reason, the COA will integrate as quickly as possible with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Environmental Protection Administration and other relevant ministries and agencies, treating epidemic prevention as a battle and carrying out "advance deployment."
Chiayi Traditional Market Hit
Before this afternoon's response meeting, Lin Tsung-hsien stressed that an illegal black-boned chicken slaughter stall operator in Chiayi had already tested positive for H5N6 avian influenza virus; moreover, after a two-hour response meeting, COA Deputy Minister Chen Chi-chung also pointed out that at the duck farm where highly pathogenic H5N6 avian influenza virus had originally been found, subsequent sampling of 2,500 forty-day-old ducklings also confirmed infection, bringing the total to five confirmed cases so far.
As for the fifth confirmed case returning to Hualien, Huang Jui-chang, director-general of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, pointed out that the first H5N6-confirmed duckling was picked up one kilometer from the poultry farm of a keeper surnamed Hsiao, and the second case was detected on a frozen carcass transported all the way from Hualien to Yilan. Both cases are inextricably linked to Mr. Hsiao, so it is initially suspected that the discarded ducklings were dumped by Mr. Hsiao. Although he flatly denied it, the bureau will require local governments to quickly ascertain the truth, and if the facts are confirmed, Mr. Hsiao's concealment of the epidemic will be punished under law with a fine of NT$50,000 to NT$1 million.
As for outside doubts over whether the bird picked up in Yuli, Hualien was a duck or a goose, Huang Jui-chang clarified that today's DNA test by the Animal Health Research Institute found it was 90 percent similar to a duck, effectively verifying the earlier misjudgment; Huang apologized to the public for this, but also stressed that whether it was a duck or a goose would not affect epidemic prevention, and asked the public not to worry too much.
And does the virus spanning western and eastern Taiwan mean the virus has become fully localized? Deputy Minister Huang Chin-cheng also stressed that the details would only be known through virus sequence comparison, but that the two places are currently independent cases, so the initial judgment is still that migratory birds carrying the virus is more likely.
H5N6 Infection Resembles Flu and Can Develop into Severe Pneumonia
Facing the current five cases of highly pathogenic H5N6 avian influenza circulating everywhere, which has aroused public concern, Chen Chi-chung stressed after the response meeting that prevention would be expanded according to four principles, including "establishing forward command centers in the counties and cities where epidemic areas occur, drafting plans to raise culling compensation, upgrading poultry movement or slaughter ban measures, and calling on all local governments to strengthen inspections of illegal private slaughter," in the hope that the epidemic can be brought under control.
In addition, when the media asked whether bird-to-human transmission had occurred, the director-general of the Centers for Disease Control under the Ministry of Health and Welfare also stressed that among the 89 people currently being traced in the three counties and cities of Yilan, Hualien and Tainan, none have shown suspected symptoms, but health units will continue health monitoring of contacts. At present, the 244 contacts related to the dead young poultry in Hualien County have been released from tracing, while 73 contacts in Yilan and Hualien counties will still have their health status traced until February 21, and 16 contacts related to the positive turkey farm in Tainan City will have their health status traced until February 19.
The CDC also stressed that if infected with H5N6, initial symptoms resemble flu, after which it develops into severe pneumonia and then multiple organ failure. Therefore, if the public develops flu-like symptoms, they should put on a mask and seek medical attention as soon as possible; at the same time, the public is advised not to smuggle or come into contact with poultry, and especially not to pick up poultry carcasses. Chicken, duck, goose and eggs should be eaten cooked, poultry meat or eggs should be washed clean when handled, and personal hygiene measures such as handwashing should be implemented.
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