D.A. allows entry of birds, poultry from France but stops imports from Bhutan, Denmark
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has imposed a temporary ban on the entry of birds and poultry, including their products, from
In separate directives, DA Secretary Bernie Fondevilla said the ban was imposed on bird and poultry imports from
The OIE, based on a report submitted by Dr. Jan Mousing, who is
The global animal health organization also received a report from Tenzin Dhendup of the Ministry of Agriculture in Bhutan that an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been detected among free range chickens in Phuntsholing, which is located in the province of Chhukha in that country.
In another directive, Fondevilla lifted the ban earlier imposed on bird and poultry imports from
Dr. Jean Luc Angot of the French Ministry of Agriculture informed the OIE that final cleaning and disinfection operations to wipe out the virus were completed by health authorities last December.
Fondevilla lifted the ban after the OIE restored
Fondevilla said the ban on bird and poultry imports from
The
The DA directed its quarantine officers and inspectors at all major airports and seaports to stop and confiscate all shipments of live birds, poultry and poultry products into the country originating from
The Department also ordered the immediate suspension of the processing, evaluation of the application and issuance of Veterinary Import Clearances (VQCs) to all imports covering these products from the banned areas.
The World Health Organization reported that as of March 30 this year, there were 492 laboratory-confirme d cases of the bird flu and 291 fatalities from the disease since the H5N1 strain of the virus broke out in Southeast Asia in 2003 and then spread across the rest of the continent, Europe, the Middle East and
In other Asian countries like
The DA has set up Community-Based Early Warning Systems (CBEWS) in selected barangays identified as in high risk of contracting the AI virus as part of its continuing measures to keep the
These CBEWs were established to orient Barangay AI Task Forces on the bird flu and the reporting process for AI suspects (both in poultry and humans) as well as the possible smuggling of poultry and exotic birds in their localities.
Under its Avian Influenza Protection Program (AIPP), the DA is also implementing an Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training (AVET) Program to strengthen the capacity of the field veterinary services, especially at the local level, in designing and managing disease surveillance, conducting outbreak investigation and effective outbreak containment measures.
The government currently has four avian flu testing facilities located in
The laboratories in Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga and Cebu complement the ongoing work being done at the Regional Avian Influenza Diagnostic Laboratory (RAIDL), in San Fernando, Pampanga, which is the country’s first diagnostic facility meant to promptly detect the AI virus. (DA Press Office)
