AMID increasing cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the country, another public health challenge has emerged -- the return of the highly pathogenic H5N6 avian influenza or bird flu virus.

On Monday, March 16, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said some 1,500 quails out of a total 15,000 quails died at a farm in Barangay Ulanin-Pitak in Jaen, Nueva Ecija last March 9 and samples from 30 live quails from the said farm taken March 13 tested positive for avian influenza.

According to DAR, this is the same strain that hit local poultry farms in 2017.

As a result, the Cebu City Government has banned the entry of all poultry products from the affected area to the city effective March 16, 2020.

According to Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries head Jennifer Laurente, their office has intensified efforts to monitor the entry of chickens after the Department of Agriculture (DA) confirmed the occurrence of bird flu in Nueva Ecija.

In a statement, Dar said a total of 12,000 quails had been culled and buried on March 14. He added that the matter is a single case affecting one quail farm only.

He also assured that the incident will be contained “effectively and swiftly” to prevent further infection.

In Cebu, Provincial Veterinarian Mary Rose Vincoy said they continue to be on heightened alert, especially with the development in Nueva Ecija.

“We continue our surveillance. In fact, we already did as early as January. We’re also consolidating reports from other local government units (LGU),” she said.

Earlier, Vincoy said they conduct two surveillance operations annually for avian influenza –- before the migratory season between March and April, and between August and September.

Identified risk areas in Cebu are the islands of Olango and Bantayan.

The H5N6 is a strain that can be transmitted to humans, but it is less infectious and less fatal compared to the deadlier H5N1 strain.

No poultry-to-human transmissions were recorded during the 2017 bird flu outbreak in Luzon, which affected three towns in Central Luzon—San Luis in Pampanga and Jaen and San Isidro in Nueva Ecija. (JJL/RTF)