DA: Bird flu situation ‘under control’

BIRD FLU WATCH In response to the bird flu outbreak in San Luis town in Pampanga, animal quarantine checkpoints like this one have been set up by government agencies. —ALEXIS CORPUZ

The public should not panic over the bird flu outbreak because the situation in affected provinces is under control, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Saturday.

“’Yung pong sa Pampanga po natin, so far, contained na po (The situation in Pampanga has so far been contained),” DA Undersecretary for Operations Ariel Cayanan said in a DZMM interview.

“Tama po kayo (You’re right), the word is don’t panic, under control po ang sitwasyon (The situation is under control),” he said.

The DA confirmed last week the first case of avian flu in San Luis, Pampanga and ordered the culling of 200,000 fowls in the area to contain the infection. The agency, however, has said that the virus tested negative for H5N1, the sub-strain that can be fatal to humans.

Cayanan said that the DA, with the help of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), local government units, Office of Civil Defense (OCD), the police and military, will soon complete depopulating the birds in areas within the one-kilometer quarantine zone in San Luis, Pampanga.

READ: DOH: Observe proper sanitation to prevent bird flu contamination

“Ngayon po ‘yung controlled area natin, ‘yung beyond one-kilometer and within seven-kilometer radius, ‘yan po ang ating sina-surveillance at sa awa ng Diyos, kung wala po tayong makikitang any recurrence e baka po mag-umpisa na tayong magbilangan and within 90 days po ay baka mai-deklara po nating libre yon,” Cayanan explained.

(The controlled area, which is beyond one-kilometer and within seven-kilometer radius, is being monitored. And if God-willing, if there will be no recurrence, we will start inventory and within 90 days, it can be declared free from bird-flu.)

Cayanan also said that the DA has already ordered the quarantine of Jaen and San Isidro towns in Nueva Ecija.

READ: Bird flu virus slips into 2 Nueva Ecija towns

“Kung ano pong measure ang ginawa natin dun sa una natin, ‘yan po ang process na ating ginawa. Nakipag-ugnayan na po tayo sa office of the provincial governor, mga munisipyong involved,” he said.

(We have implemented the same measure we did in Pampanga. We have already gotten in touch with the office of the provincial governor and the municipalities involved.)

The undersecretary reminded the public that eating chickens and any poultry products is safe as long as it is cooked properly.

“Ang pagkain po ng manok o any poultry products, wag lamang po natin kakainin ng hilaw at ito po ay safe kainin (Eating chickens or any poultry products is safe as long as we do not eat them raw),” he said. IDL