Taiwan reports first ever occurrence of H5N3 bird flu on duck farm
Taiwan has notified the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE) of it’s first ever detection of H5N3 avian influenza virus, a low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI).
The outbreak occurred on a “meat-type” duck farm in Yuli, Hualien county. The virus was isolated from swabs taken from the farm July 16 and confirmed by the national laboratory Aug. 2, according to the OIE.
On the farm, authorities say of the duck population of over 13,000, 20 tested positive for the virus.
The result of clinical investigation showed that the duck were in healthy condition without clinical signs and abnormal mortality. The surveillance of poultry farms around the H5N3 affected farm are in progress.
This notification follows the ongoing investigation of another LPAI, H5N2 avian influenza, first detected on duck farms in the same county in Dec. 2012.
Avian influenza, or “bird flu”, is a contagious disease caused by Influenza A viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly some mammals such as pigs.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), wild waterfowl are considered the natural reservoir of all non or low pathogenic influenza A viruses. They have probably carried influenza viruses, with no apparent harm, for centuries.
However, in domestic poultry, infection with avian influenza viruses causes two main forms of disease, distinguished by low and high virulence. The so-called “low pathogenic” avian influenza (LPAI) commonly causes only mild symptoms (e.g. ruffled feathers, a drop in egg production) and may easily go undetected.
The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) form is far more dramatic. It spreads very rapidly through poultry flocks, causes disease affecting multiple internal organs, and has a mortality that can approach 100%, often within 48 hours. Currently only some strains of viruses of the H5 and H7 subtypes are known to cause the highly pathogenic form of the disease in poultry.
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