Novel avian influenza virus persists; breeding geese at a Changhua livestock breeding farm have been culled

The Changhua Animal Breeding Station of the Council of Agriculture's Livestock Research Institute discovered abnormal deaths among geese last week. Samples were sent to the Council of Agriculture's Animal Health Research Institute for testing, and infection with novel H5N2 subtype avian influenza virus nucleic acid was confirmed. The entire goose house was culled today, and disinfection of the site was strengthened.

Huang Ying-hao, director of the Livestock Research Institute, said the Changhua Animal Breeding Station has 20 goose houses. In one of them, abnormal goose deaths were discovered successively on March 28, so the local animal disease control authorities were notified, and samples were sent for testing.

This batch of geese was originally intended as "geese for promotion," to be raised and then sold to ordinary private poultry farmers for meat production. The birds infected with the virus have now been culled and destroyed.

Outside Questioning: Virus Still Present in the Environment, Restocking Too Hasty; Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine: Source of Infection Under Investigation

Shih Tai-hua, deputy director-general of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, said the Changhua Animal Breeding Station originally raised 963 geese, 756 were culled today, and 207 geese died. There are no other poultry farms near the station. The virus may still be present in the environment, and the source of the disease is currently being clarified.

Huang Ying-hao also said that after the avian influenza outbreak, geese raised in open-air poultry houses had all been moved into non-open-air poultry houses, and the Changhua Animal Breeding Station also places great importance on environmental hygiene. However, the virus may still seep in everywhere. The source of infection is still under investigation, and epidemiological experts have been asked to assess the situation.

Just as the avian influenza epidemic was beginning to ease, questions from outside remain: the virus may still exist in the environment. If restocking is carried out hastily or the restocking environment is not strictly required to be improved, and given that goose farmers previously asked the Council of Agriculture to relax restocking standards, will the culling and compensation carried out by the Council of Agriculture for disease prevention have been in vain? Shih Tai-hua said the current restocking conditions are not too loose, and no agreement was made to relax restocking standards for goose farmers. Farmers must cooperate by building netting to prevent birds, pay attention to people entering and leaving bringing in the virus, have legally compliant land, and confirm there is no viral infection before restocking.

The Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine also called on the public: avian influenza cases are currently occurring sporadically, showing that the virus still exists in the environment, and the epidemic remains severe. Poultry production and marketing operators are asked to continue implementing biosafety measures such as controlling people and vehicles, disinfecting personnel, vehicles (including poultry transport vehicles, egg transport vehicles, feed vehicles, and rendering vehicles), loading crates, and equipment, in order to prevent the occurrence and spread of the epidemic.

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