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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Benguet province declared bird flu-free by DA-BAI

Benguet province declared bird flu-free by DA-BAI

Published Feb 20, 2024 07:16 am

Two years after its first case of avian influenza, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced that the Benguet province is now free from bird flu.

The DA confirmed on Tuesday, Feb. 20, that laboratory tests found that there have been no reported cases of the H5N1 strain infection since the beginning of this year.

Earlier this February, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) said that 66 municipalities in 10 provinces within Benguet were affected by the flu. 

Since its recent progress, the number of bird flu-free provinces has gone down to nine.

The strain was first discovered around February and September of 2022 in Baguio City, as well as the towns Atok, Buguias, Itogon, La Trinidad, Sablan, and Tublay.

According to the DA, influenza was found in various fowls like layer and native chickens, ducks, turkeys, and geese.

Since then, the BAI issued a memorandum on the Avian Influenza Protection Program, which instructed the thorough cleaning, disinfection, and restocking of sentinel poultry to ensure safety.

Blood samples are taken from sentinel chickens to observe mosquito contact which transmits these types of viruses. The BAI also advised that sentinel poultry must be restocked at a number of 300 heads per form or 30 heads per household.

“Immediate depopulation, cleaning and disinfection, mobility restrictions and surveillance in areas surrounding affected farms including stricter biosecurity that soon yielded 'negative' results led to [our] decision to declare Benguet free from the dreaded avian disease,” DA said.

Related Tags

Bureau of Animal Industry Bird flu Department of Agriculture
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