Chickens (from da.gov.ph)

There is an outbreak of bird flu in the country, the Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday.

In a “Laging Handa” briefing, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the outbreak had been affecting several farms in Central Luzon.

“Iyong apektado ay karamihan dito po sa Central Luzon kasi nandiyan iyong [swamp] karamihan. Pero around that area may mga small spots pero mostly ducks and quails,” he said.

Dar said the government had started providing assistance packages to affected farmers.

“[K]ami ay in tandem with local government units, even with the Department of Health kasi kailangan po iyong relationship sa human health ay matingnan continuously,” he said.

Dar said the outbreak was caused by migratory birds coming from other countries.

He urged local government units to monitor “local hotspots” to curb the spread of the flu.

The National Avian Influenza Task Force was reactivated by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases in July 2020. John Ezekiel J. Hirro