#12,220
Since yesterday's update Taiwan has detected the recently arrived HPAI H5N6 virus in at least two more locations; at a slaughterhouse in Chiayi and once again in Hualien, very near where the first detection was reported a week ago is a `baby gosling'.
Today media is reporting that `gosling' was in fact, a baby duck, raising concerns that infected ducks may have recently been shipped from that region.
Between Taiwan's devastating H5N8/H5N2 epizootic of 2015 - which saw more than 1,000 farms affected - and having seen the recent impact the H5N6 virus in Korea (33 million birds lost), Taiwan's COA and BAPHIQ are understandably on full alert.
This update today from Taiwan's BAPHIQ (Bureau of Animal Plant Health Inspection & Quarantine).
In response to H5N6 avian flu, the Executive Yuan held a meeting of the Contingency Center to prevent the spread of the epidemic
In response to the recent case of H5N1 high-pathogenic avian influenza in Hualien and Tainan, the Executive Yuan set up the "Central Emergency Response Center for Avian Influenza" yesterday and today held its first meeting. Chief Secretary for Health and Welfare, Mr Chan Shing-chung and Director of Environmental Protection, Mr Lee Ying-yuan, acted as co-commanders. The Chief Executive was here today to attend the meeting.
The Executive Yuan said that the Agriculture Committee held a "Bird Flu Emergency Response Team Meeting" yesterday (12th) to invite the relevant units of the Association and the Animal Epidemic Prevention Organization to participate in the meeting. More vigilant surveillance and surveillance measures were launched in the areas with highly pathogenic avian influenza. Local governments and counties (municipalities) were also requested to strengthen their access to poultry farms. The hospital pointed out that today the "bird flu central disaster response center", the president will thank the local epidemic prevention colleagues in the efforts to effectively control the avian flu outbreak, and make the following ruling:
1. In response to the request of the Central Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on the establishment of an advanced command center in counties and cities in the affected areas, , Please do consider handling.
2. In order to enhance the willingness of the farmers to inform themselves, the COA is requested to consider as soon as possible whether the culling compensation fee can be raised.
3. If it is judged that there will be a warming trend in the future, the COA will be invited to consider whether measures should be taken to enhance the control measures such as the prohibition of movement or prohibition of poultry.
4. Please county and city government to strengthen illegal slaughter investigation, in order to avoid the spread of the epidemic.
The Council of Agriculture (COA) said that the monitoring and control scope of Hualien County Yuli was expanded from 3 km to 5 km, and the frequency of monitoring was reduced from once a month to once every half month. Virus activities in the region before the lifting of control measures, and the radius of 5 km of the poultry farms, subject to the first detection of virus-free existence before the listing of slaughter, in addition to February 21, in addition to waterfowl, Poultry shipped out of Hualien County slaughtering; Yilan County has completed the Hualien to the slaughterhouse and slaughtered and detected H5N6 avian influenza ducks only 3,787 carcasses abandoned, slaughterhouse around the radius of 3 kilometers within the poultry farm control monitoring, ; As part of the city of Tainan City Animal Epidemic Prevention Department of the case around the radius of 3 kilometers within the poultry farms to take control and monitoring measures, a radius of 3 km to 5 km for a comprehensive visit, and give priority to duck sampling monitoring , To confirm whether the virus has signs of proliferation.
Another health department also said that the health unit continued to conduct health monitoring for contacts, Hualian County, 244 dead chicks positive expiration date has been lifted to track, Yilan, Hualien County contacts are still 73 people will track the health status To February 21, Tainan City, positive contact with a total of 16 people will track health status to February 19. 3 counties and cities were tracking 89 people are currently no suspected symptoms.
