Over 200,000 chickens within a one-kilometer radius of where the avian flu virus was detected will be slaughtered over the next five to six days.
According to a report by local news site Interaksyon, Dr. Arlene Vytiaco said today that only 6,700 birds have been killed so far. Vytiaco is the head of the Animal Disease Control Section of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI)’s Animal Health and Welfare Division.
They reported that the avian flu outbreak began as early as May, but operators didn’t report the problem until it worsened in July. Over 37,000 infected birds died from the avian flu outbreak so far.
The birds will be gassed using carbon dioxide, placed in plastic containers, and then buried.
No cases of transmissions of avian flu to humans have been recorded so far.
Secretary of Agriculture Manuel Piñol confirmed the outbreak of the virus earlier this weekend.
Investigation of the outbreak began last Aug. 4, Piñol said. But deaths of quail and ducks began on the last week of April, followed by reported deaths of chickens in May.
Piñol said the agency has yet to confirm the source of the outbreak as tests would still be conducted in Australia.
“There are still reported and maybe unreported poultry mortalities in the area,” he said.
The agriculture chief said three farms suffered a 100 percent mortality rate of its fowls, while overall mortality rate in the affected area was placed at 34.5 percent.
A total of 90 quarantine officers have been deployed to the area, Piñol said.
The Department of Agriculture has also ordered a ban on the transport of poultry from Luzon to other parts of the country until further notice to control the outbreak.
With reports from ABS-CBN News.
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