Staff writer, with CNANew Taipei City is on high alert after a local slaughterhouse reported H5 avian influenza infections in chickens on three of its nine slaughter lines. The New Taipei City Domestic Poultry Slaughterhouse on Friday found one chicken on each of the three lines showed symptoms of avian flu infection, such as sporadic redness on the body, swelling around the eyes and hemorrhaging on the feet, the New Taipei City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office said yesterday. Veterinarians at the slaughterhouse informed the office and the Council of Agriculture of the findings. Laboratory tests have confirmed that the problematic chickens were infected with the H5 strain, the office said, and as a result, the 40 frozen chickens were destroyed in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading. New Taipei City consumes the most chickens of any of the nation’s municipalities, and the number of chickens slaughtered there reaches 30,000 to 40,000 per day, the office said.

Source: Taipei Times September 03, 2017 15:56 UTC