TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After an outbreak of the H5N2 bird flu was confirmed, a farm in Changhua County saw 16,778 of its chickens culled, reports said Saturday (Dec. 11).
The authorities called on farmers to take preventive measures and disinfect their farms as the peak season for bird flu was approaching, CNA reported.
The egg farm in the township of Zhutang reported suspicious deaths of birds to the county’s livestock disease control service on Dec. 6. Test results available Friday (Dec. 10) showed that the highly pathogenic avian influenza was involved, triggering an immediate cull of all birds at the farm, followed by thorough disinfection.
The advent of cold weather as well as migratory travel by wild birds all contributed to a higher risk of bird flu for poultry as well, inspectors said. Even vehicles and strangers should avoid entering farms, or wear protective clothing and face disinfection if they had to be let in.