Council of Agriculture to Hold International Avian Influenza Symposium; Experts from Japan, the UK, the Netherlands and South Korea to Visit Taiwan, China
As the avian influenza outbreak gradually subsides, the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) of the Council of Agriculture will hold an international avian influenza symposium on March 11, inviting experts from Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, the United Kingdom and other countries to come to Taiwan to discuss topics such as avian influenza prevention and control, animal welfare, and viral gene sequence analysis. Chang Su-hsien, Director-General of BAPHIQ, said she hopes that through this exchange, countries can pool their wisdom and find better strategies for preventing and controlling avian influenza.
BAPHIQ Director-General Chang Su-hsien said this morning that the avian influenza outbreak has subsided; yesterday 3 new farms were submitted for testing, with no confirmed cases, bringing the total to 882 farms submitted and 855 farms confirmed with H5 subtype avian influenza. As of yesterday, 852 farms and 4,172,909 birds had been culled.
Chang Su-hsien said that at 9 a.m. on March 11, an international avian influenza symposium will be held in the BAPHIQ building. Experts from Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, the United Kingdom and other countries are currently expected to be invited. World-renowned avian influenza prevention expert Professor Hiroshi Kida of Hokkaido University in Japan has also been invited to Taiwan to share topics related to avian influenza quarantine, while one expert from the United Kingdom will share on animal welfare aspects such as humane culling.
At the international avian influenza symposium, Tsai Hsiang-jung, Director-General of the Animal Health Research Institute, will report on the viral gene sequence analysis of Taiwan's current wave of avian influenza, while BAPHIQ Director-General Chang Su-hsien will speak on Taiwan's prevention and diagnostic situation. BAPHIQ said it expects to invite 70 to 80 domestic experts to attend and discuss with foreign experts, pooling wisdom together to find better strategies for avian influenza prevention and control.
Before Restocking, Farmers Must Attend Biosafety Education and Training
In addition, regarding industry restocking after this wave of avian influenza, Li Yi-chien, Section Chief of the Animal Industry Department of the Council of Agriculture, said that farms with avian influenza cases and poultry farms within a radius of 1 kilometer around them must meet certain biosafety requirements before they can restock. The Council of Agriculture will require farmers to participate in biosafety education and training before restocking, and only those who pass the test can proceed with restocking. This
Li Yi-chien said that starting this week, classes will be offered through the four regional poultry health centers to explain to farmers aspects of restocking such as disease prevention, poultry housing, and regulations, while also listening more to farmers' views as a reference for continuing to guide the industry's future direction.
Abnormal Deaths of Black-faced Spoonbills at Tainan Wetland Initially Ruled Out as Avian Influenza Infection
Regarding the recent abnormal deaths of black-faced spoonbills, Kuan Li-hao, Section Chief of the Forestry Bureau, said that since February 28, black-faced spoonbills at the Tainan wetland have been found with abnormal conditions such as drooping necks and wings; 6 have died, and another 6 are under treatment. Preliminary testing by the Animal Health Research Institute found the avian influenza virus nucleic acid to be negative, initially ruling out the possibility of avian influenza infection. Botulism infection is suspected, but follow-up diagnosis and testing are still needed.
Kuan Li-hao said that in order to prevent black-faced spoonbills from becoming infected with botulism by eating dead fish carcasses, the removal of decaying fish carcasses from the wetland has been strengthened, and the Endemic Species Research Institute and wetland management units are continuing to monitor the situation.
