Taiwan's agriculture minister, Chen Bao-ji, has confirmed that the H5N8 avian influenza virus has been detected in Taiwan for the first time. The minister said Sunday that the virus was found in lab tests that were conducted on geese raised for breeding, at a farm in Chiayi County, southern Taiwan.
Some 15 duck and goose farms in the southern counties of Pingtung, Chiayi and Yunlin had reported abnormal egg production and deaths since Friday. That’s following an outbreak of the H5N2 virus at a chicken farm in Pingtung County. Animal health authorities collected samples and evaluated them to see whether they contained a strain of the avian flu virus.
Authorities say that they have detected the H5N2 virus in samples taken at one additional duck farm in Pingtung County and four goose farms in Yunlin County.