Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 10) — The government assured the public that stricter measures are in place to contain the spread of bird flu.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI) said it had intensified the following measures against the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus:
– thorough disease investigation
– immediate culling and proper disposal of all remaining birds in affected farms
– intensive surveillance in the one-kilometer quarantine zone around the infected farms
– heightened transport requirements for poultry commodities, requiring negative AI tests and other documents
“The BAI is steadfast in mitigating the spread of AI, protecting the poultry industry of our country and ensuring the safety of our consumers,” DA-BAI OIC-Reildrin Morales said.
RELATED: DA orders strict measures to contain bird flu outbreak in duck, quail farms in Luzon
The department said private laboratories have also been granted permission to conduct AI testing.
Earlier this month, the agency reported the Asian Avian Influenza (AI) Subtype H5N1 has already affected 17 provinces across the Philippines.
The outbreak, confirmed to have entered the country in January, has resulted in the deaths of 182,968 birds and the culling of 1,267,055 poultry.
As of July 29, the DA-BAI said it had already distributed ₱122 million to indemnify poultry farms affected by the outbreak.
