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Avian flu virus hits Cabiao poultry farm, DA’s Piñol confirms


A poultry farm in Cabiao, Nueva Ecija has been hit by the avian flu virus, Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol confirmed on Friday.

Piñol made the confirmation when he attended a Christmas party in Cabanatuan City on Friday morning, according to a report by GMA News stringer Junjun Sy on Balitanghali.

He clarified that the Department of Agriculture had the situation under control and that the virus has not affected humans.

The agriculture secretary also said that news of the culling of 40,000 of the said farm's livestock last November 21 was kept from the media on purpose. The dead chickens were buried in the ground.

Piñol claimed media was not informed about it to avoid raising an alarm similar to what happened when a bird flu outbreak was declared last August in one of Cabiao's neighboring towns, San Isidro. Some 300,000 birds were culled then and the area was placed under quarantine.

Piñol noted that the poultry industry was substantially affected by that outbreak, especially in Central Luzon.

To prevent the virus from spreading, Piñol said the DA is working alongside Cabiao's local government in closely monitoring poultry products going in and out of the town.

Tests are also being conducted on Cabiao's farms to determine whether or not the their livestock have been affected by the virus. —Margaret Claire Layug/KG, GMA News

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