Taipei, April 22 (CNA) The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed Sunday that three poultry workers and officials working in animal quarantine have tested positive for antibodies for the H5N2 strain of avian influenza.

However, all three people are healthy and none have developed any flu symptoms, CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Jih-haw said, adding that there is no public health risk of human-to-human transmission.

Chou noted that they might be in contact with the H5N2 strain of the virus but he said the antibodies could also be a result of cross-reactivity because all three received flu vaccinations last year and all had received H5N1 vaccination in March or April.

Taiwan confirmed the first outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza March 3 after chicken farms in Changhua and Nantou counties, as well as in Tainan, reported avian flu outbreaks.

Over 75,000 chickens have been culled as a result of the outbreaks.

(By Chen Ching-fen and Hanna Liu)
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