Migratory birds’ sanctuaries watched

The Avian Influenza Task Force is closely monitoring 20 areas nationwide to prevent the possible entry of the deadly disease in the country, an expert said.

These areas include Zamboanga del Norte; Zamboanga del Sur; Zamboanga City; Zamboanga Sibugay; Palawan, near Quezon and Narra towns; Candaba Swamp in Pampanga; Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte; Aparri in Cagayan; Olango Island in Cebu; Himamaylan in Negros Occidental; and Magat Dam in Isabela.

The others are Lake Mainit in Agusan del Sur; Agusan del Norte; Surigao del Norte; Surigao del Sur; Roxas, Capiz; Bulan and Matnog in Sorsogon; General Santos City; Naujan, Mindoro Oriental; and Cabacan, Liguasan Marsh in Cotabato.

Dr. Luningning Villa, program manager for re-emerging diseases of the Department of Health (DOH), said these areas are under close watch because they are sanctuaries of migratory birds.

These migratory birds are feared to carry the avian influenza virus, especially since the disease has already swept across neighboring countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, China, Japan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Republic of Korea and Vietnam.

Dr. Magdalena Cruz, of the Bureau of Animal Industry’s Philippine Animal Health Center, said the task force makes random inspections of poultry farms near these places to check on the condition of the fowls there.

Cruz added that the fowls are randomly tested to ensure early detection of possible infection.

A few weeks ago, ducks in a farm in Calumpit, Bulacan were suspected to be carrying a "low pathogen" strain of avian influenza.

This prompted the task force to impose a three-kilometer quarantine zone in the area and ban the exportation of the fowls to Japan.

But after examining the ducks’ blood samples, the Australian Animal Health Laboratory confirmed that the Philippines is sill free from "any highly pathogenic" avian influenza.

The laboratory said the ducks had been exposed only to a low pathogenic avian virus "but their natural immune systems apparently eliminated the low-risk flu strain."

Villa said the Philippines was able to ward off infectious diseases like the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) because of close coordination among government agencies and the private sector.

She said they intend to maintain such a tie-up to ensure that avian influenza would not wreak havoc in the country.