Photo courtesy: istockphoto
AT least 17,000 chicken were culled as an official of the Bulacan provincial veterinary confirmed a bird flu outbreak in a poultry farm in Sta. Maria, Bulacan,
In a radio interview, Bulacan Provincial Veterinarian Voltaire Basinang said that a layer farm was hit by the virus on January 31.
A layer farm is involved in egg production. At least 17,000 chickens were culled and we suspect that the migratory birds caused the outbreak,” Basinang said.
“The farm is not bird-proof so we advised poultry farms to cover their farms with nets as there are many migratory birds in the area,” he added.
The provincial veterinary office is now conducting surveillance within the one-kilometer radius of the affected farm.
“We are conducting tests to make sure that other poultry farmers are not positive of the virus,” Basinang said.
The Philippine Egg Board had confirmed that millions of chickens were culled in 2022 amid the outbreak of avian flu in Central Luzon. This caused the shortage in the supply of eggs and retail prices shot up to between P9 and P10 per piece.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) said the HPAI H5N1 is highly pathogenic and deadly.
