Bird flu strikes again.
Chicken meat is a common purchase for consumers considering its relatively cheaper price at P160-170 per kilos, compared to fish and pork in the market. However, the public fears that it may change soon.
At least 60,000 chickens have already been culled in a private chicken breeder farm in Kananga, Leyte after testing positive of Avian Influenza (AI) disease as confirmed by the Department of Agriculture (DA) regional office.
DA Eastern Visayas Regional Executive Director Andrew Orais said the farm owner decided to cull all stocks after two chickens turned positive for bird flu during a rapid test on March 13. A month earlier, farm workers observed nasal discharge in some chickens along with onset and the exponential mortalities on the first week of March.
The source of infection is believed to be attributed to migratory birds or the illegal movement of infected birds from an infected area. Meanwhile, the DA assured that the situation is still under control.
“The situation is under control since it is inside a farm. All culled chickens were buried properly, and the farm is undergoing disinfection,” Orais told reporters after a meeting of the Regional Avian Influenza Task Force here.
However, despite the assurance, the Cebu Provincial Government has raised a temporary ban on the entry of live birds from the province of Leyte for 45 days to deter the spread of AI which took effect on March 25.
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia issued on Monday, March 25, 2024 an executive order “regulating the entry of live poultry, game fowl, wild birds, pigeon, and pet birds from the Province of Leyte.”
The solon further noted that if undetected, AI could affect the province's 12 billion poultry industry. A threat she would not take lightly.
Several Leyte Mayor's have also stepped up and created task forces to regulate the entry of live domestic and wild birds in their jurisdiction. Palompon, Matag-ob and Isabel have issued a ban on live poultry until May 9 while keeping track of the poultry conditions within their municipalities.
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