NAIA to impose strict screening for H5N1 virus

MANILA, Philippines - Authorities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport have ordered NAIA quarantine and medical personnel to double their efforts to screen travelers and prevent the entry of the H5N1 avian influenza virus into the country.

The United Nations warned of a possible resurgence of bird flu, saying a mutant, vaccine-resistant strain of the H5N1 virus is spreading in Asia and other parts of the world.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization on Monday called for increased surveillance and preparation for a potential outbreak of the virus, which it says has infected 565 people since it first appeared in 2003, killing 331 of them.

The latest victims were reported last month in Cambodia, where the virus killed all eight reported victims.

The Manila International Airport Authority, which runs the NAIA, is monitoring travelers from Cambodia and Vietnam, while those from Bulgaria, Romania, Nepal, Mongolia, Israel and Palestine are also checked upon arrival since there are no direct flights to Manila from these countries, according to MIAA general manager Jose Angel Honrado.

Animal quarantine experts are also monitoring chickens and other birds brought in by passengers, he said.