Sultan Kudarat declared bird flu-free —DA

The province of Sultan Kudarat has been declared avian influenza-free by the Department of Agriculture (DA).

In a statement on Tuesday, the DA said declaring Sultan Kudarat as a bird flu-free province now allows the movement of birds including chickens, duck and other poultry products within and outside the province.

The declaration was issued by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. 

Tiu Laurel issued the declaration as it has been more than 90 days “since the end of the cleaning and disinfection operations and  that surveillance activities yielded negative avian influenza test results.”

Cases of the highly pathogenic avian influenza subtype H5N1 were first reported in the City of Tacurong and the towns of Isulan, Lebak, Lutayan and President Quirino in March 2022, according to the DA.

Several more avian influenza cases were reported affecting ducks, native and layer chickens, turkeys, guinea fowls and geese from June 2022 to February 2023, it added.

The DA said Sultan Kudarat had been free of bird flu before first cases were reported in early 2022.

The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) allows a place previously free of avian influenza to regain that status 28 days after the stamping out policy is completed, disinfection of the last affected establishment was carried out, and that consequent surveillance demonstrated the absence of infection.

However, the Agriculture Department said that it has been more than 90 days since the local government unit, DA regional field office, and the Bureau of Animal Industry have completed the WOAH procedures and the testing for bird flu didn’t show any new infections.

With this, Tiu Laurel, in his declaration, said that “in accordance with the authority vested in me, (I) do hereby declare Sultan Kudarat as an Avian Influenza-Free Province." —KBK, GMA Integrated News