THE Davao City Veterinary Office (CVO) assured that the city remains "bird flu free," but said it will further intensify its screening on the entry of poultries following the ongoing outbreak of Avian Influenza (AI) H5N1 in several provinces in Luzon and Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat.
CVO head Dr. Cerelyn Pinili said in a radio interview on Wednesday, March 30, that the intensified screening comes as cases of bird flu were detected in Luzon, particularly in Tarlac, Pampanga, and Bulacan, while cases in Tacurong, the lone area in Mindanao, were also recently detected.
"Kato nga mga area, ban gyud ang pagpasulod sa manok diri sa Mindanao (We have banned the entries of chicken from these areas)," Pinili said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
According to the Department of Agriculture (DA) Memorandum Circular 6 Series of 2022, released on Tuesday, March 29, transport of domestic and captured wild birds and poultry products and by-products from these areas are banned.
DA stated that the policy regulates the movement of ducks, quails, chicken, and other poultry commodities in affected areas, particularly those coming from within the one-kilometer (km) quarantine area.
Pinili said the City Government conducted surveillance testing to various farms, and no poultry was confirmed to be infected with the deadly avian flu.
"Based sa among monitoring, wala sa pagkakaron. Naa man puy ubay-ubay nga mga farms nato na gikuhaan og samples, result is negative man pud (Based on our monitoring, we don’t have any reported cases as of now. We have monitored various farms and got the samples from their poultries, the results tested negative)," she said.
In an interview during Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR 87.5), Dr. Cerelyn Pinili, head of the City Veterinary Office, said the security personnel assigned at checkpoints have been directed to screen the entry of poultry following the imposition of ban imposed on products coming from areas with confirmed bird flu outbreaks.
She said the city has set up veterinary checkpoints in various city borders in Lasang, Calinan, Marilog, and Sirawan in Toril.
According to the World Health Organization, humans can be infected with avian viruses.
Human infections are primarily acquired through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments, these viruses have not acquired the ability of sustained transmission among humans.