Putting an end to avian flu: A race against time

Taichung goes into action against an avian flu outbreak

Words by Lai Yu-heng
Translated by S. Ying

On January 9, the first strain of bird flu was detected in Pingtung county and was followed by large numbers of dead poultry and a dramatic drop in egg production. In the wake of this outbreak, Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung ordered the Taichung City Government Health Bureau to immediately investigate and sanitize all poultry farms in Taichung within three days.

Upon hearing the first news of an avian flu outbreak in Pingtung, Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung called on everyone to mobilize against the highly contagious virus with quick action, as bird flu can easily spread over wide areas. The focus has been on defending Taichung city just as if one were fighting a war, and to exercise great caution, especially since nearby counties like Yunlin have reported avian flu cases.

Mayor Lin is heading up an Avian Influenza Preparedness and Response Team with the Agricultural Department serving as vice-chair, and has called meetings to discuss measures against the H5N2 and H5N8 avian flu strains with city staff in the Health Bureau and also with the Department of Environmental Protection.

The city government took action on January 8 with the Agricultural Department and Health Bureau to investigate poultry farms in the city. Actions to sanitize the farms became a priority on January 9 and 10 to further prevent outbreaks. Mayor Lin called a meeting to discuss measures against the H5N2 and H5N8 virus. From January 13 to 15, city personnel finished investigating and sanitizing all poultry farms without finding any cases of bird flu. As of January 22, only one goose farm in Waipu was confirmed as carrying the H5 virus strain and all forces including the Police Department, Health Bureau, Department of Environmental Protection, and various district offices were ordered to kill over 1,200 geese to prevent spreading of the bird flu.

Mayor Lin also noted that the protection of citizens against the bird flu was more than a Taichung issue, and he invited neighboring counties such as Changhua and Nantou to unify defensive efforts and collectively discuss tactics to combat the outbreak of the H5N2 and H5N8 bird flu. Thus far, combining city and county efforts has helped officials to educate the public with standardized flyers and information packets on how to prevent and stop the spreading of avian flu.

No reported human cases of H5N2

What is avian influenza?

Avian flu, also known as bird flu and more formally as avian influenza, refers to a flu caused by viruses that infect and sicken birds. The virus spreads between infected and healthy birds via saliva, nasal secretions, feces and feed, as well as through contact with contaminated secretions or surfaces. Domesticated poultry also becomes infected via direct contact with infected waterfowl, other infected livestock, or contaminated cages and other farming equipment and facilities. Various bird flu strains include H5N1, H7N7, H7N3 and H9N2, with H5N1 causing the most human illnesses and deaths.

On January 16, the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine reported the first case of H5N3 virus discovered in Taiwan, although at the time of this report there were still no reports of humans infected with bird flu.

There are three types of influenza viruses--A, B and C--with both H5N1 and H5N2 classified as an "A" virus. Globally, up to 600 people have been infected with H5N1, which is highly pathogenic and has a reported 60% death rate. H5N2 can be differentiated as low pathogenic and high pathogenic and thus far has not infected any humans.

September to April is peak flu season. Since H5 and H7 virus strains have caused serious illnesses and deaths, Taichung city government has checked for these virus strains in poultry farms annually. In 2014, 2,449 samples were collected at poultry farms with 774 farms sanitized and no cases of infected birds.

The Agricultural Department announced that, starting on January 18, all poultry farms would be required by Animal Disease Prevention Law No. 43 to provide health claims signed by a veterinarian doctor for all poultry sent out for slaughter. Violations of this law could result in fines of NT$50,000 to NT$1 million for poultry farm owners. Farm owners are also required by law to report to government authorities if over 10% of their poultry have fallen ill or if egg production drops by over 10%. If owners break the law and fail to make such reports to the government, they could face fines in the same range.

Cautionary steps against bird flu: Emulate first-line personnel
Front-line personnel fighting an avian flu outbreak are one of the highest risk groups. The Health Bureau cautions such personnel to wear masks and gloves at all times for work and, if any of them have any cold or flu symptoms, they must ensure that no contact is made with birds and poultry. Staff members must wash their hands thoroughly, especially after work, and must closely monitor their body temperatures twice daily, once in the morning and once at night.

The Health Bureau advises the public to not panic and simply take note that the avian flu virus can be killed with high temperatures. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) suggests cooking all poultry meats at 70 degrees C and reheating such meat at 56 degrees for three hours, 60 degrees for 30 minutes, or at 100 degrees for a minute. As long as you cook chicken and eggs properly, you don't have to worry about poultry products. If you do experience the symptoms of fever, throat ache or coughing, please visit a doctor immediately and fully report any possible and all recent contacts with birds to ensure proper medical treatment.

Avian flu related "5 Do's and 10 Don'ts"

The Health Bureau cautions the public to adhere to "5 Do's and 10 Don'ts" guidelines to prevent the avian flu and effectively reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

Five things you must do:

1. Do wash hands often.
2. Do get a flu shot with a "human" influenza vaccine.
3. Do consume fully cooked foods.
4. Do maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, sleep well and reduce stress.
5. Do monitor health closely to watch for signs of high body temperatures. If there are signs of a fever, immediately wear a mask and visit a doctor.

Ten things that you must not do:
1. Do not feed and have any close contact with migratory and general birds.
2. Do not visit areas with reported avian flu outbreaks.
3. Do not mix the feeding and sheltering of different types of poultry (chicken, ducks) with other animals (pigs).
4. Do not release home-raised birds into the wild.
5. Do not buy poultry meat with unknown origins.
6. Do not touch, sell, buy or eat infected birds.
7. Do not dispose of dead birds in an irresponsible manner.
8. Do not slaughter birds.
9. Do not eat any poultry products raw (including eggs and related products).
10. Do not remain in crowded public places and/or poorly-ventilated areas to reduce the likelihood of virus infections.

Dedicated Information Hotline:

ROC Contact Centers for Disease Control Toll-Free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline: 1922
(Provides information regarding human epidemics, infectious disease inquiries, influenza prevention procedures and policies.)
Council of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Bureau toll-free hotline: 0800-039-131
(Provides information on avian flu, flu symptoms, routes of infection and preventive measures.)
Taichung Agricultural Department: (04) 2386-9420