Bird flu crisis over, PH agriculture chief says

MANILA, Philippines – The bird flu crisis is over, Philippine Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol said on Saturday, September 2, following his lifting of a 7-kilometer radius ban.

In a Facebook post, Piñol said he was “lifting the quarantine restrictions in the 7-kilometer Controlled Area Radius around the town of San Luis, Pampanga and in Jaen and San Isidro towns in Nueva Ecija.”

Piñol stated this in a memorandum circular signed on August 31.

His Facebook post on Saturday was titled, “Bird Flu Crisis Over; Recovery Work Begins.”

Piñol explained, “This means poultry and poultry products from these areas could now be transported to other destinations or markets.”

While the 7-kilometer radius ban has been lifted, Piñol added that quarantine restrictions and surveillance remain in place at a one-kilometer radius of the 3 affected towns.

He also reminded farmers in the affected areas that they “will only be allowed to raise chicken, ducks, and quails again after 90 days from the day the disinfection of the areas ended.”

Piñol said the Philippines will recover from the avian flu outbreak, adding that the losses incurred during the country’s bird flu outbreak was not as severe as that in Thailand.

Whereas the Philippines had to cull some 600,000 fowl, 60 million were culled in Thailand. – Rappler.com