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Surveillance to prevent the entry of bird flu in critical areas visited by migratory birds and confiscation of meat without permits entering Negros Occidental, especially from HongKong, are underway, Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena said yesterday.
Himamaylan, Negros Occidental, has been identified by the national government as among the 20 critical areas in the Philippines for the presence of migratory birds, Decena said.
A close watch is also being conducted on Barangay Tibsoc, San Enrique that is also in the path of migratory birds, he said.
Every six months, 30 blood samples are taken from chickens and ducks in six barangays in Himamaylan that may have come in contact with migratory birds, as a precaution against the possible entry of bird flu, Decena said.
The six Himamaylan barangays are Suay, Talaban, Aguisan, Saraet, Caradioan, Tooy and Buenavista, he said.
The laboratory tests show that the province does not have any bird flu, he added.
The results are then sent to the World Organization for Animal Health that keeps a close watch for bird flu worldwide.
Himamaylan Mayor Agustin Ernesto Bascon yesterday said there were very few sightings of migratory birds in his city so far but they are closely monitoring their presence.
Other areas where migratory birds flock in Negros Occidental are Sagay, Cadiz and San Carlos cities, and other coastal areas, Decena said.
Decena said quarantine officers are also assigned to different ports of entry in Negros Occidental to confiscate meat entering the province without permits.
Dr. Leriza Balope?os, Region 6 Animal Health Coordinator of the Department of Agriculture, said migratory birds usually flock to local wet lands to escape cold weather in their host country.
But Capiz has been tagged as a critical area because two migratory birds caught there had been tagged to have come from Tokyo, Japan and Pyongyang, China, she added.
Worldwide concern over the spread of bird flu emerged again after a 59-year-old woman in HongKong tested positive for Influenza A (H5), a variant of bird flu, after returning from a trip to mainland China, last week.
Avian influenza, sometimes called avian flu, and, commonly, bird flu, refers to "influenza caused by viruses adapted to birds."*CPG
Himamaylan, Negros Occidental, has been identified by the national government as among the 20 critical areas in the Philippines for the presence of migratory birds, Decena said.
A close watch is also being conducted on Barangay Tibsoc, San Enrique that is also in the path of migratory birds, he said.
Every six months, 30 blood samples are taken from chickens and ducks in six barangays in Himamaylan that may have come in contact with migratory birds, as a precaution against the possible entry of bird flu, Decena said.
The six Himamaylan barangays are Suay, Talaban, Aguisan, Saraet, Caradioan, Tooy and Buenavista, he said.
The laboratory tests show that the province does not have any bird flu, he added.
The results are then sent to the World Organization for Animal Health that keeps a close watch for bird flu worldwide.
Himamaylan Mayor Agustin Ernesto Bascon yesterday said there were very few sightings of migratory birds in his city so far but they are closely monitoring their presence.
Other areas where migratory birds flock in Negros Occidental are Sagay, Cadiz and San Carlos cities, and other coastal areas, Decena said.
Decena said quarantine officers are also assigned to different ports of entry in Negros Occidental to confiscate meat entering the province without permits.
Dr. Leriza Balope?os, Region 6 Animal Health Coordinator of the Department of Agriculture, said migratory birds usually flock to local wet lands to escape cold weather in their host country.
But Capiz has been tagged as a critical area because two migratory birds caught there had been tagged to have come from Tokyo, Japan and Pyongyang, China, she added.
Worldwide concern over the spread of bird flu emerged again after a 59-year-old woman in HongKong tested positive for Influenza A (H5), a variant of bird flu, after returning from a trip to mainland China, last week.
Avian influenza, sometimes called avian flu, and, commonly, bird flu, refers to "influenza caused by viruses adapted to birds."*CPG
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