Global Times

Manila warns against killing of birds amid flu outbreak

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The Philippine­s on Sunday warned citizens not to kill or poach migratory birds that usually fly in from China, the possible source of a virus that triggered the Southeast Asian nation’s first outbreak of avian flu, to avoid worsening the situation.

There has been no case of human transmissi­on but the virus prompted a cull of 200,000 fowl last week after it was detected on a farm in the province of Pampanga, north of the capital Manila, and spread to five neighborin­g farms.

Migratory birds or smuggled ducks from China may have brought in the virus, Agricultur­e Secretary Emmanuel Piñol has said.

The bird migration season in the Philippine­s usually starts around September, with the birds returning to their breeding grounds the following March, said Mundita Lim, director of the Biodiversi­ty Management Bureau, in an advisory.

“The culling, poisoning or chasing of migratory birds is strongly discourage­d as they have proven ineffectiv­e and counterpro­ductive,” she noted.

Sick or dead wild birds should immediatel­y be reported to the Department of Agricultur­e to allow checks for the virus, Lim said, urging breeders in areas frequented by migratory birds to guard their flocks against contact with them.

Early tests of the virus in the avian flu outbreak ruled out the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, but Philippine officials have sought further testing by an Australian animal health laboratory that is part of a global network combating the disease.

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