THE Bulacan province is now H5N1 avian influenza (AI)-free, according the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday.
In a statement, the DA handed the AI-free status “more than 90 days since cleaning and disinfection activities, and the last surveillance which yielded negative results.”
Prior to the declaration, the DA implemented stringent measures, including depopulation, disinfection, and logistics restrictions, in 135 poultry facilities registered in Bulacan.
Surveillance zones of 1 and 7 kilometers were put up around infected farms.
Based on monitoring reports of the Bureau of Animal Industry, infections were recorded among ducks, quail, native chicken, chicken layers, and broiler breeders in Baliwag City, Pulilan, Santa Maria, San Rafael, San Miguel, and San Ildefonso from January 2022 to February 2023.
The last H5N1 infection was reported in a game fowl farm in Santa Maria in early May 2023.
