BAI: No bird flu outbreak in Tarlac

The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) on Tuesday said there have been no confirmed laboratory results of the bird flu in Tarlac and no reports of an outbreak in the area have been received so far, contrary to certain reports.

In a statement, the BAI said it has been made aware of recent reports of a supposed bird flu outbreak in Tarlac, but local authorities have not reported any outbreak, and the last officially confirmed case in the province was recorded in December 2023.

“The BAI Animal Diagnosis and Reference Laboratory is the sole authority to officially detect and confirm positive cases of bird flu through standardized testing protocols,” the statement read.

“The BAI takes the health and safety of our poultry industry very seriously. We urge the public and media to rely on verified information and official statements from the BAI,” it added.

The bureau said that should there be any confirmed case of the bird flu, it will “promptly” inform the public and take the necessary measures to contain and address the situation.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) earlier banned the importation of poultry and poultry by-products from Minnesota and Michigan in the United States, due to confirmed cases of the High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1.—RF, GMA Integrated News