Two new avian flu outbreaks in Taiwanese poultry

In Taiwan’s long-time battle to control highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of the H5N2 subtype, cases have been reported at two more poultry farms.

Gabriela Pernecka, Freeimages.com
Gabriela Pernecka, Freeimages.com

The number of outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus of the H5N2 subtype has increased by two in Taiwan this month.

The virus was detected in a mixed backyard flock of 18 birds in Changhua county after six of them died in mid-September, according to the official report from the Council of Agriculture to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). The other outbreak was confirmed the following day after more than 1,000 native chickens died at a farm in Yunlin county. The remaining birds in both flocks have been destroyed to prevent further spread of the infection, resulting in the loss of more than 22,100 poultry from the diseases through mortality or culling in these latest outbreaks.

Following recent reports in local media, Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture has also confirmed to the OIE further details of an outbreak of HPAI outbreak linked to an H5N5 virus variant reported here last week. It was the first time this subtype had been detected in Taiwan, and the virus was identified at the Animal Health Research Institute as the result of an active surveillance program. The birds — a flock of 3,583 meat ducks in the Cishan district of Kaohsiung city — had shown neither clinical symptoms nor increased mortality, but all were slaughtered after the infection was discovered.

Checks of poultry at all five farms within 3 kilometers of the outbreak revealed the birds to be apparently healthy and virus-negative. These flocks will be closely monitored for the next 3 months, according to the Council of Agriculture.

Since HPAI of the H5N1 and H5N8 subtypes were first detected in Nigeria in early 2015 and late 2016, respectively, the federal agriculture ministry has provided periodic updates to the OIE. According to the latest reports, neither virus has been detected in poultry in the West African country for a prolonged period. The most recent cases involved the H5N8 variant, which was detected in the state of Edo in April of this year.

View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation.

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