14.11.2005

Taiwan found a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza, H7N3, in droppings left by a migratory bird and is carrying out tests to see if the virus has spread to nearby poultry farms, the agriculture department said on Monday. The Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine detected the H7N3 virus in one of 20 samples of bird droppings taken from a swamp outside the southern city of Tainan.
It was the second time the strain has been detected in Taiwan. The first case of H7N3 was discovered in the outskirts of Taipei in April, said the official.