Agriculture Minister Chen Bao-ji says that current policies could bring the avian flu outbreak affecting Taiwan to an end in as little as three months. The outbreak has now spread to twelve cities and counties around Taiwan.
Speaking on Thursday, Chen said that his ministry’s policies, including imposing a slaughter ban that has just been lifted, could bring noticeable results after a week has passed.
The ministry has also been using a technique called viral nucleic acid analysis to shorten the waiting period for avian flu test results. In the past, officials might have to wait as long as 21 days for test results to come out. However, using viral nucleic acid analysis, officials can get test results in as little as a single day. All fowl living on farms that return positive samples will be culled, and the reduced timetable the new technique allows will speed efforts to curb the spread of avian flu viruses.