TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Yunlin County’s animal disease control center on Monday culled 5,267 ducks after highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu was confirmed at a duck farm in Yuanchang Township.

CNA reported that the case was discovered during routine annual surveillance. The center took samples at the farm on Sunday and later confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus.

Animal disease control center Director Liao Pei-chih (廖培志) said the ducks showed no unusual deaths or clear signs of illness before the test results were confirmed. However, he said the virus is highly contagious and poses a serious threat to poultry.

Liao said the case is Yunlin County’s first bird flu detection this winter. Since January, the county has recorded eight confirmed bird flu cases at poultry farms.

The center said it ordered the farm operator to fully clean and disinfect the site after the cull. All cleanup work must be completed before farming operations are allowed to resume.

Officials also placed 16 poultry farms within a one-kilometer radius under monitoring. Samples from those farms will be collected in the coming days to ensure the virus has not spread.

The center urged poultry farmers to stay alert and strengthen access controls at their farms. It also advised farmers to step up cleaning and disinfection of workers, vehicles, and transport equipment to prevent major losses to the poultry industry.