MANILA, 19 July 2005 — A low-risk version of bird flu has been found at a Philippine duck farm but the country remains free of the deadly strain that has ravaged other Southeast Asian poultry industries, officials said yesterday
The findings were contained in an initial report by an Australian laboratory, which examined samples from the duck farm in Calumpit town in Bulacan province, north of Manila, where authorities detected the first case of bird flu on July 8.
“The Philippines is free from any highly pathogenic avian influenza,” the departments of agriculture and health said in a joint statement.
The Australian Animal Health Laboratory “found no active infection in the duck samples that were tested,” according to the statement. “The ducks had been exposed to a low pathogenic avian influenza virus, but their natural systems apparently eliminated the low-risk flu strain.”
The AAHL is the regional reference laboratory for avian influenza of the or the World Organization for Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organization.
With these findings, the agriculture department’s Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) yesterday lifted the ban on movement and sale of poultry products in Bulacan.
The ducks had been exposed to a low pathogenic avian influenza virus but their natural systems apparently eliminated the low-risk flu strain, the BAI said.
According to outgoing Agriculture Secre-tary Arthur Yap, the H5 strain found from samples at the Calumpit farm is considered far less virulent than the H5N1 strain which had killed more than 50 people throughout Asia in 2003. Following these encouraging results, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is prepared to seek the restoration of the country’s avian influenza-free status so that the Philippines may resume poultry activities to Japan and other countries.
BAI, in coordination with the Bulacan government, moved to lift the 3-kilometer radius quarantine regulations imposed last week and allowed the free movement of live chicken subject to normal shipping permit requirements.
BAI also announced that routine surveillance measures will continue to boost the country’s drive to maintain the country’s avian influenza-free status. Consultations with the duck industry will also be held to strengthen biosecurity practices, according to agriculture and health departments.
Officials assured consumers that chicken meat and properly cooked duck meat and eggs or the native balut remain safe to eat.
