2 Pampanga farm workers tested negative for bird flu virus – DOH

Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

The two poultry farm workers from San Luis, Pampanga, who earlier manifested flu-like symptoms, tested negative for bird flu virus, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

According to Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) released Tuesday night the results of the tests conducted on the two workers.

“Negative for bird flu,” said Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial in a text message to the Inquirer Wednesday.

DOH spokesperson Dr. Eric Tayag, in a separate interview, said the two workers were immediately removed from isolation but were advised to continue taking anti-flu viral drug Oseltamivir.

Tayag on Tuesday disclosed that two “suspect cases” had shown flu-like symptoms, like cough and fever, after having direct contact with bird flu-afflicted chickens in Pampanga.

He added that the DOH sent another team in San Luis to speed up the monitoring and the conduct of random testing to those exposed in the affected farms.

Those who are involved in culling operations were also given prophylaxis as a preventive measure.

“The prophylaxis has two uses–as a prevention if you are exposed to the virus and as a treatment if you have the symptoms,” Tayag said.

The health official earlier explained that bird flu virus in San Luis, Pampanga is not airborne and human-to-human transmission is not possible.

“Only those who are exposed to the farms and fowls in San Luis are being monitored, and only these exposures can lead to a case of chicken-to-human transmission of bird flu,” Tayag said.

He added that while the human cases of bird flu could be fatal, it can be transmitted with “great difficulty.”