March 11, 2004

Taiwan Slaughters 12,000 Chickens In New Bird Flu Outbreak

Taiwan discovered a new outbreak of a less virulent form of bird flu and plans to slaughter 12,000 chickens to curb its spread.

The Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine told AFP the virus was discovered from samples sent in by the farm in the southern Pingtung county on March 1.

Taiwanese authorities have slaughtered 467,000 birds since H5N2, a less virulent strain of the bird flu which has hit the Asian region, was first detected at a chicken farm in the central county of Changhua on January 15.

The authorities insisted the outbreaks would not pose a threat to humans.

"We continue to keep a close eye on the development particularly as migratory birds fly back to the north," said Yeh Ying, the bureau's spokeswoman.

The origin of the infection remains unknown but the bureau said it suspected the virus could have been spread by migratory birds or vehicles moving between farms.

The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, which has killed 22 people in Vietnam and Thailand and led to the cull of some 80 million chickens, has not been detected in Taiwan.