DA-7 declares deaths not due to bird flu

THE Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas (DA-7) declares that the death of around 32 chickens in Dumaguete City was not caused by the avian flu virus or bird flu; but by a virus called Newcastle Disease (NCD).

According to DA-7 Director Atty. Salva Diputado, this was the result of an investigation conducted on the death of chickens as part of precautionary measures following reports of farms in the provinces of Pampanga and Nueva Ecija affected by bird flu.

Diputado assured that strict protocols were being implemented by DA-7 to monitor poultry products after the ban on poultry products from Luzon was lifted.

“Dili angay katingad-an ug kabalak-an. Mga manok bisaya ra man pod ug igtatari ang naapektuhan sa backyard farm, dili g’yud gikan sa mga commercial poultry farms,” Diputado said.
(There is no need to worry. Only native chicken and fighting cocks raised in backyard farms were affected and not those from commercial poultry farms.)

Diputado advised backyard raisers to bury their dead chickens infected by NCD as part of quarantine measures.

Earlier, Dumaguete City Veterinary Officer Lourdes Socorro reported the unusual death of chickens which started to occur last August 15, affecting backyard raisers in Purok San Lorenzo, Barangay Talay, Dumaguete City.

Socorro advised farmers to contain their chickens in their own backyard while awaiting laboratory findings.

Meanwhile, another six fighting cocks were reported to have died for unknown reasons in one of the four backyard farms that had lost 32 chickens last week.

Socorro’s team collected mucus swabs and blood samples from the dead chickens for laboratory examination to determine the cause of their death.

Common bird illnesses that mimic symptoms of bird flu are NCD, Infectious Bronchitis and Mycoplasmosis.