Department of Agriculture Secretary William Dar confirmed Monday the detection of Bird Flu or H5N6 highly pathogenic avian influenza in Jaen, Nueva Ecija.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar said samples from a farm collected in Barangay Ulanin-Pitak were subjected to tests conducted last Friday, March 13, and results showed these were positive for avian influenza.
The tests were done after increased mortalities of 1,500 out of a total of 15,000 quails were reported in one of the farms in the area on March 9.
From April to September 2017 in the Philippines, an outbreak of H5N6 avian influenza or bird flu affected poultry in at least three towns in Central Luzon; San Luis in Pampanga and Jaen and San Isidro in Nueva Ecija.
According to Dar, the DA has since imposed a 1-7 protocol where a 1-kilometer radius will be the control zone, and the 7-kilometer range beyond it will be the surveillance zone.
A total of 25,000 quails have since been surgically stamped out.
The first avian flu outbreak recorded in the Philippines was in August 2017. It was officially declared over in September 2017.
The outbreak killed 37,000 birds (August 11), while more than 600,000 birds were culled (September 4).
Bird flu, or avian flu, is an infectious type of influenza that spreads among birds. In rare cases, it can affect humans.
Although H5N6 does not infect people easily and aren’t usually spread from human to human, several people have been infected around the world, leading to several deaths.
Also read: Poultry culled as Philippines records first case of deadly bird flu
Bird flu detected in Jaen, Nueva Ecija
How bird flu spreads to humans?
Bird flu is spread by close contact with an infected bird (dead or alive). This includes:
- touching infected birds
- touching droppings or bedding
- killing or preparing infected poultry for cooking
What are the symptoms of bird flu?
The main symptoms of bird flu can appear very quickly and include:
- a very high temperature or feeling hot or shivery
- aching muscles
- headache
- a cough
Other early symptoms may include:
- diarrhea
- sickness
- stomach pain
- chest pain
- bleeding from the nose and gums
- conjunctivitis
To date, there is no vaccine developed against bird flu.