Soldiers help contain avian flu outbreak in Nueva Ecija

Another contingent of army soldiers have been deployed in Nueva Ecija as part of efforts to contain the avian flu virus that has struck poultries in the province, after Pampanga.

The deployment of 137 personnel from the 7th Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Northern Luzon Command

(AFP-NOLCOM) to the municipal hall of San Isidro town, Nueva Ecija happened last Saturday morning.

Their deployment was done in response to the request of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), under the Department of Agriculture (DA), for assistance after confirming a new incident of bird flu outbreak in the municipality.

Like the first batch of soldiers sent to Pampanga to augment other concerned government agencies involved in containing the bird flu outbreak, the contingent immediately underwent training on proper procedures from the DA prior to their deployment to the actual site of the infected poultry farms.

Also, flu vaccination and individual health screening facilitated by the Provincial Health Office (PHO) of Nueva Ecija was conducted in order to determine their conditions, ensure safety and prevent further contamination.

Meanwhile, the previous augmentations are still in Sta. Rita, San Luis, Pampanga to continue the conduct of culling in the backyard/restricted areas and control zones (7 Km radius), with an estimated number of 40,000 and 70,000 infected fowls that are yet to be depopulated, respectively.

As of yesterday, the troops have already culled a total of 27,055 chickens that resulted to the depopulating of all poultry farms within the quarantine zone (1-kilometer radius) for the first two days of operation as directed by the DA.