January 29, 2004

Taiwan Culls 50,000 Chickens, Ducks

Taiwan Thursday ordered the slaughter of 50,000 chickens and ducks with a milder strain of the bird flu sweeping through Asia, the government said.

The Council of Agriculture said 40,000 chickens at three southern Taiwan farms had been found with H5N2, a less-deadly form of the avian flu. Officials say the strain does not affect humans.

Also, 10,000 ducks at another farm in the south will be culled after the same strain was detected among birds at a market in the capital, Taipei, the council said at a news conference.

Officials at the council didn't address the possibility of the virus spreading to other birds at the Taipei market.

A more serious strain, H5N1, has killed at least 10 people in Thailand and Vietnam and led to the culling of millions of chickens in 10 Asian countries and territories.

Taiwanese authorities have maintained that the more dangerous strain hasn't reached this island of 23 million people.

Taiwan slaughtered about 55,000 chickens earlier this month after the milder strain was detected here. Officials say the culling was necessary to prevent the possibility of the virus mutating into a more threatening strain.