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DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 30 March) – The City Government of Davao is strictly monitoring the entry of poultry products at the checkpoints following the outbreak of Avian Influenza (AI) H5N1 or bird flu in several provinces in Luzon and Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat, an official said on Wednesday.
In an interview during Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR 87.5), Dr. Cerelyn Pinili, head of the City Veterinary Office, said that the security personnel assigned at checkpoints here have been directed to screen the entry of poultry following the imposition of ban imposed on products coming from areas with confirmed bird flu outbreaks. She said the city has put up veterinary checkpoints in various entry points to the city – in Lasang, Calinan, Marilog, and Sirawan in Toril. The Department of Agriculture (DA) confirmed outbreaks of bird flu in the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, Laguna, and Camarines Sur and reported confirmed cases in Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Tarlac, and Benguet. According to DA, the “possible sources of infection and spread of the virus in those areas are the presence of migratory or resident wild birds, late or non-reporting of suspect cases (sick/dying birds), and illegal movement of infected birds from H5N1 infected areas as per disease investigation conducted by veterinary authorities.” Pinili said the transport of live birds coming from these areas has been banned in pursuance of DA’s Memorandum Circular No. 6 Series of 2022 released on Tuesday, which prescribes the “Guidelines on the movement of domestic and captured wild birds and poultry products and by-products during the avian influenza outbreak. ” According to the DA, the policy regulates the movement of ducks, quails, chicken, and other poultry commodities in affected areas, particularly those coming from within the one-kilometer (km) quarantine area. Pinili assured local consumers that the city remains free from bird flu. “Based on our monitoring, we have no reported case yet. We have obtained several samples from our forms and results tested negative,” she said. But Pinili encouraged the poultry raisers to immediately report to authorities any reported deaths of poultry caused by flu to contain the spread of infection. She said the local government’s surveillance has been focused on Talomo and Tugbok Districts where the city’s big commercial poultry farms are situated. In a press release issued by the City Government of Davao, Pinili said that the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) reported an outbreak of bird flu last March 10 in nearby Tacurong in Soccsksargen where 1,000 ducks had been culled. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
