Translated by Cara Steenstra

Released by Government Information Office

Release Date: 2005-12-27

In an effort to improve the professional knowledge and improve the team spirit of the Bird Flu Prevention Voluntary Team, the Taichung City Government held an inauguration and flag raising ceremony in honor of this on December 29 at 10:30am. Everyone was welcomed to join in.

According to WHO reports, bird flu has cast a sinister shadow over the globe since 2004. There have been reports of bird flu infection in Asian countries such as South Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Pakistan and others. Recently, there have also been reports of bird flu infection in European countries such as Turkey, Romania, Russia and others. And Taiwan is one of the few Asian countries not to have been affected by the disease, and is officially recognized by the OIE as a bird flu-free zone.

In order to strengthen animal disease prevention and animal protection policies, the city has organized a voluntary team for this purpose. After a month of recruitment, a total of 90 volunteers have signed up. They have been assigned to different teams according to their job descriptions, such as the management service team, animal protection team and animal disease prevention team. These teams will work in shifts according to necessity, and assist in related disease prevention work.