Benguet declared free of bird flu

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said Benguet is free from type H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), or bird flu, after an outbreak that started in 2022.

The clearance was issued via Memorandum Circular No. 3, signed by Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr.

According to the guidelines issued by the World Organization for Animal Health, a country or area may be declared free of avian influenza 28 days after the completion of depopulation, disinfection of the last affected establishment, and no infections observed while under monitoring.

The DA said that more than 90 days have passed since the completion of its cleaning and disinfection operations, and no trace of the disease has since turned up.

“Continued disease monitoring and surveillance in the 1 kilometer (km) and 7 km surveillance zones surrounding the affected farms yielded negative test results for influenza type A virus,” the DA said.

In 2022, the province recorded 11 cases of bird flu in Baguio and the municipalities of Atok, Buguias, Itogon, La Trinidad, Sablan, and Tublay, affecting duck, native chicken, layer chicken, gamefowl, broiler breeders, turkey, and goose.

The cases were found in February, March, May, June, July, and September 2022.

It added that Benguet province, DA regional field offices, and the Bureau of Animal Industry had depopulated affected farms, conducted cleaning and disinfection, and restricted the movement of poultry.

“Prior to the confirmation of the first case of HPAI H5N1 in Benguet, the province had been free from avian influenza in poultry,” it added.

The DA has also declared the provinces of Pangasinan, Aurora, Quezon, Capiz, Batangas, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Rizal, Cotabato, Isabela, and Maguindanao del Sur as avian influenza-free. —