The Philippines is now bird-flu free.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI) yesterday said the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has the Phideclared that as of Jan. 8, 2021, the Philippines is now free of the last remaining A(H5N6) strain of the avian influenza virus in the country.
In its report to the OIE, BAI said affected farms in Pampanga and Rizal showed no further evidence of the presence of the AI virus during the monitoring and surveillance.
“We had not detected any case of AI A(H5N6) among the poultry and other bird population in the last 90 days after the completion of cleaning and disinfection in the affected farms, surveillance and monitoring and completion of the 35-day restocking period with sentinel animals in Pampanga and Rizal,” said Ronnie Domingo, BAI director.
In July last year, the disease was confirmed in an egg-producing farm in San Luis, Pampanga. To recall, the Philippines also resolved outbreak cases in 2017 and in 2018.
DA said the swift action of the local governments of Pampanga and Rizal helped limit the further spread of the AI A(H5N6) strain to other areas.
However, the DA reminds poultry farmers and industry stakeholders to remain vigilant and report any unusual mortalities to their respective farm veterinarians or nearest government veterinary or agriculture office to stop the possible spread of any animal disease.
The Philippines, a major importer of chicken and other poultry products, was not dropping its guard against the disease, it said.
The DA had imposed a temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products from France, South Korea, the Netherlands, and Poland, where another highly pathogenic strain – H5N8 – has been detected.
Avian flu outbreaks are a recurring concern for the agriculture department and the local poultry industry, having recorded outbreak cases in 2017 and 2018. -J. Macapagal
