With the arrival of avian flu season, Premier Sean Chen today asked the Council of Agriculture (COA) and the Department of Health (DOH) to be on the alert for possible outbreaks since many birds pass through Taiwan on their migration routes. The Coast Guard Administration will increase border control to curb bird smuggling while the Ministry of Finance will also beef up customs inspections.
A more virulent variant of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus surfaced in Vietnam this July, said Premier Chen. And on November 22, Taiwan saw an outbreak of the H5N2 virus on a chicken farm in outlying Penghu County. The COA, the DOH and the Penghu County government acted quickly to cull all chickens at the farm to stem the spread of the virus.
The premier further called on poultry farmers to increase their vigilance against bird flu and to take stronger biosafety precautions including frequent disinfection. Preventing outbreaks and transmission will protect the industry and ensure public health and safety, he added.