By Franco G. Regala City of San Fernando, Pampanga — Avian pest appears to have hit this city after more than a hundred chickens in several backyard farms have died from a disease in the past few weeks. Some chicken raisers in Barangays Santo Rosario, Calulut, Del Pilar and Panipuan already expressed alarm by the possible spread of the Newcastle Disease, a contagious viral bird disease affecting many domestic and wild avian species. “Mang Max,” a resident of barangay Santo Rosario said he lost some 30 chickens in the past weeks after they suffered from some disease. “Nagulat na lang ako at nangamatay ang mga manok ko unti-unti. Nagkakasakit lang, may paubo-ubo, sinisipon, namumula ang mga mata at yung iba nilalamig lagi. Meron mga sobra isandaan ang mga manok ko pero unti unti sila nababawasan dahil sa sakit (I was surprised when my chickens started dying. They get sick, cough, catch a cold, have redness in the eye and chills. I had more than a hundred chickens, but lost a lot to disease),”’ he told The Manila Bulletin. Another chicken raiser, “Manny” of Barangay Cululut, City of San Fernando, voiced out the same experience. The Department of Agriculture (DA) earlier said that an infected bird may exhibit several signs, including respiratory signs (gasping, coughing), nervous signs (depression, inappetence, muscular tremors, drooping wings, twisting of head and neck, circling, complete paralysis), swelling of the tissues around the eyes and neck, greenish, watery diarrhea, misshapen, rough- or thin-shelled eggs and reduced egg production.