Vice Premier Chang San-cheng today instructed the Council of Agriculture (COA) and other epidemic control agencies to ensure that bird flu contingency plans are well enforced during the Lunar New Year so as to leave no window of opportunity for the virus to spread.
After being updated on the status of the epidemic at a meeting of the Executive Yuan's avian influenza response center, the vice premier also asked the agencies to continue reporting cases and to step up monitoring measures.
Since most meat markets will be closed February 19-22 for the Lunar New Year holiday, Chang instructed the COA to monitor the effects of the four-day break in the slaughter of poultry on the epidemic control effort.
To compensate farmers for the value of culled poultry, the central government has so far distributed NT$163.79 million (US$5.19 million) to local governments, according to the COA. Tainan City received NT$51.26 million (US$1.62 million), Kaohsiung City NT$5.94 million (US$188,000), Yunlin County NT$57.65 million (US$1.83 million), and Pingtung County NT$48.94 million (US$1.55 million).
The COA has asked the local governments to speed up payment of these funds to affected farmers. To ensure 60 percent of these funds are paid out before the holiday, local authorities may simplify procedures when compensating farmers, the COA said. In all, the central government has prepared NT$1.52 billion (US$48.16 million) for local governments to use as compensation and on emergency epidemic control expenses.
In other efforts, the COA on February 4 called the first meeting of an advisory group on poultry influenza research and prevention, during which it received epidemic prevention recommendations from scholars and experts.
The COA's collaboration with Academia Sinica to develop a "sugar chip" quick screening process has also garnered promising results. The COA predicts that standardization and accuracy analysis of screening methods for the new H5N2, H5N3 and H5N8 strains can be completed within one month. Sequence data of the new strains and the old H5N2 subtype have been uploaded to the COA's avian influenza information webpage, which is publicly accessible online in the Chinese language.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) stated that it is redoubling efforts to meet local governments' requests for epidemic-prevention resources and ensure there are no worries about allocation or supply during the Lunar New Year. The MOEA has made emergency procurements of 3,250 kilograms of chloral hydrate—a tranquilizer used in the culling of chicken—and commenced emergency import procedures for more. The additional drugs are expected to arrive at the end of February and will be distributed according to actual needs at the time.
At present 2,688 people (including 654 military personnel) are being monitored daily for avian influenza, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. That number has gradually decreased since the beginning of February; 3,458 people have already been taken off the monitoring list.
The Executive Yuan stated that the prices of poultry, pork and eggs have remained stable, and it will continue to strike back against hoarding and price-gouging through the Lunar New Year holidays. In order to further guarantee citizens' livelihood and stability, it will also monitor whether emergency import measures are necessary.