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Bird flu vaccines sold online could be poisonous to humans, animals — DA

Philippines | National

Bird flu vaccines sold online could be poisonous to humans, animals — DA

By Jel Santos

_{(Photo courtesy of Pixabay)}

Do not purchase avian influenza (AI) or bird flu vaccines online as they could be poisonous to both humans and animals, the Department of Agriculture (DA) warned the public on Friday, July 19.

“Hindi natin ni-re-recommend ‘yan at ‘yan ay bawal. Dapat kukuha lang bakuna doon sa reputable sources (We cannot recommend purchasing avian influenza vaccines online and that is prohibited. Vaccines should only be bought from reputable sources),” DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said when asked about the rampancy of AI vaccines being sold through different online platforms.

“Kung hindi tama ‘yung bakuna, it could be a poison to both sa humans at sa animals (If the vaccine is not correct, it could be a poison to both humans and animals),” he went on.

De Mesa said the sale of bird flu vaccines online was already coordinated by the agriculture department to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to crack down on online sellers of vaccines.

Per the spokesperson, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) has already coordinated with local government units (LGUs) to warn farms of the dangers of using AI vaccines sold online.

“Iyong mga malalaking farms, they will not use that. Ang problema ‘yung mga small-hold natin, mabentahan ng ganyan. Sila ang patuloy nating winawarningan (The large farms will not use that. The problem is our smallholders, who might buy it. They are the ones we keep warning),” he said.

AI or bird flu is a viral infection that mainly affects birds, especially wild ducks and geese, as well as domestic poultry like chickens and turkeys.

According to the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strains, such as H5N1 and H7N9, can cause severe disease and high mortality rates in infected poultry.

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