Officials are continuing to combat an outbreak of bird flu virus in Taiwan. At a press conference on Sunday, officials said that as of Saturday night, authorities had completed checks on 216 poultry farms in nine counties. They have confirmed the presence of the H5 strains of bird flu in 24 new farms, for a total of 194 infected farms. Officials have already moved to cull poultry and spray disinfectant at 127 farms.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's animal health agency confirmed on Sunday that chickens in a central Taiwan farm have been infected with a new strain of the H5N2 avian flu virus. They said it was the first time the virus has been found in local chickens. Previously, the virus had only been found in geese and ducks.
The Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine said the virus was found in samples from 50 chickens on a farm in Changhua County
Three of the chickens were dead by the time the virus was confirmed and the rest have since been culled. Officials say the chickens were not raised with the intention of selling them at market. They have conducted inspections in a one-kilometer radius around the infected area, and so far, no abnormalities have been found.