October 21, 2005

Taiwan finds smuggled birds infected by avian influenza
 

Taiwanese authorities have confirmed the island's first case of bird flu, after a freighter carrying smuggled birds from the south-east Chinese city of Fuzhou was stopped at the island's Taichung harbour.

The island had a thriving market for exotic fowl, and bird smuggling was common there.

Taiwan's government said the freighter was carrying 1,037 smuggled birds, which consisted of 19 varieties from China. Samples from eight pet birds had tested positive for the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus.

However, health officials said an outbreak on the island was unlikely, as all the birds seized had been destroyed at the spot where they were confiscated.

The government added that the infected bird species were the hill myna, red-billed leiothrix and black-naped oriole.

Last year, Taiwanese authorities culled 467,000 birds across the island after the less virulent H5N2 strain was detected in farm chickens on the offshore Kinmen islet.