Gov’t confirms bird flu in Camarines Norte duck farm

Metro Manila, Philippines — The government on Wednesday, Dec. 11, confirmed the detection of a subtype of bird flu in a duck farm in Camarines Norte.

The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) said the duck farm in Talisay town tested positive to the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) Type A Subtype H5N2 — a result reported on Dec. 6 after a routine surveillance in November.

“This is the first detection of HPAI H5N2 in the country and the first recorded avian influenza case in the province,” the BAI said in a statement shared by the Agriculture Department.

The bureau said it recommended to regional agriculture officials the “immediate implementation of quarantine and biosecurity measures on the affected farm to prevent the virus from spreading.”

It added that remaining birds were culled and disposed of, with the operations completed by Tuesday and the one-kilometer zone surveillance on Wednesday.

“One does not get bird flu from thoroughly cooked chicken meat,” the DA-Bicol said. “No evidence of transmission of the virus to humans from raw, chilled or frozen poultry foods. Still, look for the Meat Inspection Certificate issued by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) meat inspection officers and deputized meat inspection officers when buying chicken meat.”

Authorities have begun a “thorough investigation” to “trace the movement of birds and identify additional risks.”

“Rest assured that BAI is committed to protecting the Philippine poultry industry from the threat of avian influenza and will maintain close cooperation with other government agencies and stakeholders,” the DA statement read.

“We encourage the public to remain vigilant and report any unusual poultry deaths or signs of illness to local authorities for immediate action,” it added.