Avian flu outbreak at duck farm could be due to migratory birds
ROC Central News Agency
2011/04/12 16:41:01
By Yang Shu-min and Lilian Wu
Taipei, April 12 (CNA) An outbreak of avian flu detected at a southern Taiwan duck farm might have come from migratory birds, the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine said Tuesday.
Huang Kuo-ching, bureau deputy director, said the H7N3 virus, a subtype of the influenza A virus, detected at a Chiayi duck farm, "could have something to do with migratory birds."
The first few months of the year are the prevalent season for avian flu outbreaks, Huang said, noting that the H7N3 virus has also been found in turkeys in the United States this year.
Huang said the United States only implemented movement control on the affected poultry because the virus was low pathogenic and continued slaughtering them for market once no more of the virus was found.
Huang said the Chiayi cases are still pending test results by the Animal Health Research Institute, expected later in the week.
"Even if it is highly pathogenic, we will only cull the animals if they are infectious. Otherwise, movement control will be sufficient," Huang said.
He said the bureau, working with the Wild Bird Society of Taipei, also detected H7N3 virus in migratory birds at the Chiehting wetland in southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung City in January.
The bureau said the avian flu at the duck farm could have been spread by local birds after contact with migratory birds carrying the infection.
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