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Published Date: 2011-12-24 10:56:58
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Foot & mouth disease, swine - Taiwan (05): serotype O, porcine
Archive Number: 20111224.3667

FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE, SWINE - TAIWAN (05): SEROTYPE O, PORCINE
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Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2011
Source: AFP via Today Online (Singapore) [edited]
http://www.todayonline.com/World/EDC111223-0000089/Taiwan-culls-1,000-pigs-in-foot-and-mouth-outbreak

Taiwan culls 1000 pigs in FMD outbreak
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Taiwanese authorities said Thursday [22 Dec 2011] they had slaughtered
nearly 1000 pigs following the island's worst outbreak of
foot-and-mouth disease [FMD] in more than 14 years.

The pigs were culled earlier this week at a farm in the southern city
of Tainan after showing symptoms of the disease.
Altogether 983 out of the 2667 pigs on the farm were culled and the
rest were vaccinated, the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection
and Quarantine said in a statement.

No FMD symptoms have been found so far in animals at 11 other farms
within a 3-km (1.8-mile) radius of the affected farm, it said.
More than 3 million pigs were slaughtered in 1997 in the wake of a FMD
epidemic.

The highly contagious virus affects cattle, pigs, sheep and other
cloven-hoofed livestock. It is not usually fatal, but an outbreak
leads to losses in the production of meat and milk.

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[Taiwan's veterinary authorities submitted to the OIE an official
immediate notification on the above outbreak on 22 Dec 2011 (see, with
map, at
http://web.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=event_summary&reportid=11405).

The report includes the following epidemiological comments:

"Pigs with vesicular lesions were reported by a private veterinarian
on a pig farm in Tainan City. Samples for virus detection were
collected and sent to the national laboratory (Animal Health Research
Institute). Movement control was implemented on the infected farm
immediately, and the prefecture animal disease control competent
authority destroyed the pigs at the same time. Cleaning and
disinfection have been conducted on the index farm. FMD infection with
serotype O was confirmed by AHRI. A total of 7 pig farms, 3 deer farms
and one goat farm within 3-km radius of the index farm has been
investigated/inspected and no clinical or epidemiological evidence of
FMD infection has been found".

See also Mod. PC commentary in posting 20110324.0930.- Mod.AS

A HealthMap/ProMED-mail map can be accessed at:
http://healthmap.org/r/1ob5]

See Also