Army soldiers cull 6,000 chickens in battle vs bird flu

A soldier checks his personal protective equipment before he is sent to a poultry farm in San Luis, Pampanga, to help cull birds infected by the avian influenza virus. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER PHOTO

About 6,000 chickens have been culled by Army soldiers in Pampanga in less than a day after their deployment in a bid to help prevent the spread of avian flu virus.

“Initial troops from the 48th Infantry Battalion arrived late afternoon Thursday and have already culled a total of 6,000 chickens until midnight,” a statement from the Northern Luzon Command said on Friday.

READ: DA to cull 200K fowls as PH reports first case of avian flu

The soldiers were initially trained and individually screened based on the health condition parameters set by the Department of Health before they were allowed to participate in the culling of chickens.

A total of 303 soldiers from the Army’s 7th Infantry Division and the peacekeeping operations, who arrived in batches, have been deployed to San Luis, Pampanga to help in the bird flu outbreak.

The soldiers will augment the culling of chickens conducted by the Bureau of Animal Industry and Department of Agriculture, the Nolcom said.

Fort Magsaysay Station Hospital also sent medical personnel to assist in the screening process and authorize those who can cull chickens.

Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol earlier sought the assistance of the Army, upon the advice of Malacañang, to help control the spread of avian flu. JPV