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Thursday, January 29, 2004
Birds could be carrier of flu virus to RP
MANILA -- The agriculture department on Wednesday said the avian influenza, the virus causing the bird flu, could still spread to the Philippines through migratory birds, but health officials said the possibility is "very minimal".
President Arroyo also called on the public not to panic amidst the reported outbreak of bird flu epidemic in some Asian countries, saying all precautionary measures are in place.
Ronel Avila, quarantine chief of the Department of Agriculture (DA), said the bird flu could still reach the country despite the ban and strict poultry quarantines.
He said migratory birds fly down south from September to December every year to escape the harsh winter in China and Siberia.
"Don't feed them, don't go near them, don't touch them," Avila advised the public who would be in contact with migratory birds.
Wild ducks and geese are hunted as delicacies in several areas, including the Candaba swamps in Pampanga.
In Cebu, migratory birds are monitored passing by Olango Island, in Lapu-Lapu City. The migratory birds fly down from their nests in China, Siberia.
The migratory birds are known to feed in the Candaba Swamp in Pampanga, Iloilo, Bicol, Ormoc Bay and in Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao. It is in Olango that majority of them come to feed.
Very minimal
On the other hand, Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit said it is possible the birds can carry the virus to the Philippines but it would be very minimal.
Instead, health officials advised the public to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Dr. Jesus Canto, chief of the Region I Medical Center, said bird flu is an ordinary viral pneumonia and there is no reason to fear it.
While he admitted that there is no cure for bird flu, like the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars), Canto said there are precautionary measures to avoid being affected by the avian virus.
"There is a need to strengthen our body's resistance and to maintain a healthy lifestyle," he said.
Canto advised the public to eat fruits with Vitamin C, vegetables, to have enough rest and do daily exercise.
No panic
President Arroyo, meanwhile, assured the public that all concerned government agencies, notably the Department of Health (DOH) and DA, are doing their best to prevent the entry of the bird flu into the country.
She said that the excellent coordination between the government and the public that prevented the spread of Sars in the country is a lesson that could be used to stop the entry of the bird flu into the country.
She said that what is important is for people to be aware of the problem. She said the public should be united and get involved.
More virulent
Meanwhile, health experts said the avian virus has become more virulent, which will place more people at risk of contracting it as a large number of ducks died from the bird flu in southern China.
A Hong Kong scientists also raised an alarm about chilled and frozen poultry meat, saying the avian influenza virus could survive for years in temperatures as low as -70 degrees Celsius. However, the virus can be killed through proper cooking.
The flu has devastated poultry populations wherever it has appeared, and the greatest fear is that the H5N1 avian flu virus might latch onto human influenza and unleash a pandemic among people with no immunity to it.
The avian flu strain first jumped from chicken to human in 1997 in Hong Kong, infecting 18 people and killing six of them. Then, experts considered ducks to be the original host of the H5N1, although the waterfowl were usually not taken ill by the bug.Fred P. Macaraeg and Sunnex
(January 29, 2004 issue)
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