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Discovery of H5N1 virus in Hong Kong puts Executive Yuan on high alert
The Council of Agriculture, the Department of Health and the Coast Guard are planning to do something about the daily increase in cases of the reported cases of “avian flu,” with Minister of the Council of Labor Affairs Lee Ying-Yuan convening the “task force.” On February 6, a joint press conference of the three ministries reported on prevention efforts. The meeting reported that quarantine personnel were sent to international airports. They requested people traveling from China and Hong Kong and Macao to be aware of their own health condition, shored up bird flu management and other measures.
The Council of Agriculture has informed that on February 1, 2006, two cases of the disease were reported in Guangdong, China, traced to a chicken coup. This put the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) alert and an investigation ensued. As China is the nation with the greatest number of cases, these experts have called for greater transparency to prevent a situation similar to the SARS epidemic.
The Council of Agriculture has stated that the Executive Yuan has addressed the potential dangers of increased travel within China. To protect the health of Taiwanese, quarantine officials have been sent to CKS International Airport to carry out disease management procedures during the Lunar New Year. There were 369 flights from Chinese territory. And port management was implemented from there, giving priority to those coming from swamp areas and rural areas. Since November 1, Department of Health has been carried on persons arriving from China. Inspection of passengers through the “mini three” links began January 20, 2006. Since then, 17,136 people , 654 from Mazu, 16,482 from Jinmen and 107 from ships and 8 from transport vehicles were tested and find no affected case.Because there have been confirmed cases in Hong Kong, public health experts have ruled that the situation is deteriorating. In response to this determination, the Executive Yuan held a meeting with Li Ying-Yuan as the convener. At present, the Executive Yuan ministries are working together to fight the disease and prevent spread to unaffected areas. It is not necessary to be alarmed. We are keeping aware of the migratory bird situation and ask people not to enter areas where birds are kept in captivity. People coming from nations that have reported infections are asked to monitor their own health situation and of course not transport birds or related items.
