H5N6 Avian Flu Outbreak Escalates Again: Turkeys Die Suddenly in Tainan, Infection Confirmed Without Notification, First Case in Western Taiwan
After highly pathogenic H5N6 avian influenza appeared separately in Hualien and Yilan, the Tainan poultry farm where a large number of turkeys died suddenly was also confirmed today to have the H5N6 virus. Because avian influenza has already spread from eastern to western Taiwan, the Council of Agriculture fears a large-scale outbreak like those in Japan and South Korea, and has now requested that the central government establish a cross-ministerial response center. The control zones at the three locations will be expanded separately and monitoring frequency increased; at the same time, the Centers for Disease Control also stressed that it will continue to track people with relevant contact history to prevent infection.
Duck-Goose Dispute Remains Unresolved; Tainan Turkeys Infected but Not Reported
Regarding the spread of the outbreak, Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Deputy Director-General Shih Tai-hua stressed that the two previously confirmed H5N6 cases were respectively dead young geese found on a field path in Yuli, Hualien, and ducks at a slaughterhouse in Yilan. Among them, whether the carcass picked up in Hualien was a "goose" or a "duck" sparked widespread debate. While sending the carcass for DNA testing, the bureau also stressed that the intensity of epidemic prevention would remain unchanged.
However, at the same time as the above cases broke out, on the 9th a turkey farm in Liujia, Tainan, suddenly had more than 3,000 six-week-old turkeys die suddenly. Although the incident occurred during the peak of the outbreak, the owner suspected a problem with the feed and not only failed to report it in accordance with regulations, but the type of poultry raised also did not match the content on the registration certificate. The Tainan City Government therefore will, after completing its investigation, fine the operator for violating the "Animal Industry Act" and the "Statute for Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Diseases." The turkey carcasses were subsequently sent to the Livestock Research Institute, and after several days of testing were confirmed to be infected with H5N6 subtype highly pathogenic avian influenza, making it the first case in western Taiwan.
Shih pointed out that the avian influenza route extending from eastern to western Taiwan follows the flight paths of migratory birds, so it is preliminarily judged that the outbreak was spread by migratory birds. From the standpoint of epidemic prevention, the bureau also immediately launched multiple advance response mechanisms. These include expanding the monitoring and control range in Hualien County from the original radius of 3 km to 5 km, and increasing monitoring frequency from once a month to once every half month. Monitoring can only be lifted after three consecutive months confirm no detection of avian influenza virus activity. As for slaughter, Shih stated that poultry farms within a 5 km radius of existing cases must have their poultry tested and confirmed free of the virus before they can be sent to market for slaughter; in addition, before February 21, land poultry are prohibited from being transported out of Hualien County for slaughter.
Yilan Has Already Destroyed 3,787 Infected Ducks; Central Government Establishes Cross-Ministerial Response Team
In the Yilan portion, Shih said that the destruction of 3,787 infected ducks has already been completed, and control and monitoring have been implemented for poultry farms within a 3 km radius of the slaughterhouse. As for Tainan City, control and monitoring have also been adopted for poultry farms within a 3 km radius of the case site, and comprehensive visits and sampling are being carried out simultaneously for poultry farms from a 3 km to 5 km radius, so as to confirm as soon as possible whether there are signs of virus spread.
In addition to measures in various places, Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Chen Chi-chung also said that because the outbreak has already crossed two counties and cities, it will request that the central government establish a cross-ministerial response center to combine the Council of Agriculture, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Economic Affairs and other ministries and commissions, and enhance overall epidemic prevention mobilization capacity.
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