Kids are most at risk of bird flu

Children are the most vulnerable victims if the bird flu or avian flu sweeps through the Philippines.

Based on the records of the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund, children compose half of the bird flu victims worldwide.

According to Nilo Yacat, senior program monitoring assistant of UNICEF, children are most vulnerable to bird flu as their bodies have low immunity to viruses.

"If the country is stricken with bird flu, there will be severe financial losses and the country's poultry industry will suffer," said Rosemarie Antegro of the Bureau of Animal Industry of the Department of Agriculture.

As of February, Antegro said there are 273 human cases caused by bird flu with 167 deaths. The disease affected at least 52 countries and destroyed millions of dollars worth of poultry.

Laarni Cabantac, assistant coordinator of the national avian influenza task force, said quarantine in Cebu is very tight and that there have been no reports of smuggling of birds in the province.

Cebu is included as a critical area because of the migratory birds in Olango Island in Lapu-Lapu City, the South Road Properties in Cebu City, and the high supply of poultry on Bantayan Island.

Other parts of the country considered as priority areas are Isabela-Magat Dam, Ramon in Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Lake Mainit in Surigao del Sur; Panay Island-Roxas, Capiz, Sorsogon-Bulan and Matnog, General Santos City, Mindoro Oriental-Naujan, Cotabato-Liguasan Marsh, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga Sibugay, Palawan near Quezon and Narra Towns, Pampanga-Candaba Swamp, Ilocos Norte- Pagudpud, Cagayan- Aparri and Negros Occidental- Himamaylan.

The priority areas were identified based on the presence of transient migratory birds and the highly concentration of domestic duck/chicken population.

Presently, only the Philippines, Brunei and Singapore remain free from bird flu.

UNICEF will soon come up with television, radio and outdoor advertisements to emphasize the importance of keeping the country free from bird flu. - Jasmin R. Uy/LPM