December 16, 2004

Two Strains of Bird Flu Detected in Taiwan

Two strains of avian flu in migratory birds were detected in the northern part of Taiwan, the first cases to be found since the start of 2004, according to the government on Wednesday.

No cases of the deadly H5N1 virus have been found in Taiwan so far.

The agriculture ministry revealed it had found one migratory bird infected with the milder H5N2 strain of the virus and another bird with the H5N6 strain during routine testing.

The island slaughtered over 400,000 fowl early in the year after discovering birds infected around the island with H5N2, which cannot be transmitted to humans.

The ministry gave no details on the H5N6 strain.

The ministry is conducting tests on surrounding areas, but has not announced any plans for more culling of birds.

The number of birds that have been slaughtered in Taiwan is still only a tiny fraction of the 377 million chickens the island bred in 2002, in addition to 31 million other edible fowl, such as ducks, geese and turkeys, according to the government.

Animal health officials said the source of the virus is a mystery, but suspect migratory birds or fowl smuggled from China.