Govt declares bird flu outbreak

400,000 CHICKENS ORDERED CULLED

AGRICULTURE Secretary Emmanuel Piñol on Friday declared -

No animal-to-human transmissions have

Piñol said six poultry farms in the province

of the virus.

“The total reported mortality from the investigated farms was population, or a 4.5 percent mortality rate as of August 4, 2017,” the Agriculture chief said.

“There were indications of the farm, where there were ducks underneath. The ducks were the carriers of avian flu since they had contact with migratory

Initial samples from a farm in Pampanga that reported very high mortalities in poultry tested positive for an H5 strain at the Bureau of Animal Industry’s Animal Disease Diagnosis and

negative for other avian respiratory diseases that have similar symptoms such as infectious - castle disease.

way station and destination for the Asian mainland during winter.

State of calamity in Pampanga

Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda declared a province- wide state of of avian disease.

Piñol also admitted authorities still had to determine where the virus came from.

He said he immediately ordered the quarantine of affected areas, aside from the culling of all poultry and destruction of poultry products within a 1-kilometer radius.

“I also called on the local government executives of the other provinces to implement and execute the quarantine measures. In fact, I urge them to set up quarantine stations in the roads leading the provinces,” he said.

Piñol said the Bureau of Animal Industry had put up a 1-kilometer

Twelve quarantine checkpoints were put up within a 1-kilometer radius to check incoming and outgoing vehicles moving livestock and poultry, and to limit animal movements within the area.

Piñol assured poultry farmers the culled chickens, at a rate of P80 per head.

“Aside from the compensation, we will prepare a long-term pack

Highly contagious

known to jump to humans are the department’s Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.

carried.

contagious viral disease affecting turkeys, quails, guinea fowl, etc.)

take precautions such as covering - ing or coughing, washing hands often, and taking plenty of liquids.

People should avoid going near and poultry, she said, as the chance of cross-infection, while minimal, is fatal.

The Health department has stepped up surveillance since the -

- human deaths from 859 cases of Asia accounting for 41 percent of all cases.

The Philippines had not previously reported any human cases, according to WHO data.