TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Birds at a poultry farm in Pingtung County were culled on Thursday (March 16) after it was confirmed that birds in the flock had been infected with the H5N1 variant of avian influenza the previous day.

The farmer reported several abnormal deaths of hens to local authorities on March 13, and two days later, on March 15, the presence of bird flu was confirmed. In response, the Animal Disease Control Center of Pingtung County was forced to cull 13,328 birds at the farm.

On Thursday, authorities also began a systematic inspection of 40 other poultry farms, all located within 3 kilometers of the reported infection site, reported LTN.

Chief of the Animal Disease Control Center Lee Yung-wen (李永文) said that northern Pingtung County has a high concentration of poultry farms and is a high-risk area for avian influenza, especially given the high transmissibility of the H5N1 strain.

It is very likely that more farms in the vicinity will test positive for bird flu. The Animal Disease Control Center urged farmers to monitor their hen houses carefully, while maintaining clean facilities with good ventilation for their flocks, reported LTN.