Newcastle disease in chickens won’t affect humans —DA

The Newcastle disease outbreak affecting chickens in some farms in Central Luzon will not have any effect on humans even if they eat infected poultry, the Department of Agriculture said on Monday.

Agriculture Undersecretary Jose Reaño said it would be easy for consumers to know whether a chicken was affected by Newcastle.

"Hindi po makaka-apekto (sa tao) kahit makain. Isa pa, mahirap makabili niyan. Unang-una,makikita mo sa laman," Reaño told Kara David in a News to Go interview.

"Ang epekto niyan, hemorrhagic—sumasabog 'yung mga dugo sa loob ng katawan. Tapos namamaga 'yung ulo, so makikita mo agad. Very distinct siya, kahit katayin mo. Madugo, malansang-malansa—no way para hindi mo maamoy kapag (infected ang manok)," he added.

The DA has declared an outbreak after the disease spread in Tarlac, Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, Pangasinan, Laguna, Quezon Province, and Quezon City.

The virus is airborne, making it highly contagious. The DA said about a million chickens have succumbed to the disease from October to December in 2015.

Reaño, however, assured the public that the outbreak will not affect that supply of chicken in the Philippines.

However, Reaño said that large commercial poultry farms are not as affected as smaller farms, especially those who raise fighting cocks alongside other chickens.

Reaño explained that large commercial poultry farms adhere to strict and full bio-security and that the supply from them is very stable. He also pointed to the discipline of these farms to get their stock vaccinated as a safeguard against the Newcastle Disease.

Despite the outbreak, the DA is expecting a three to four percent growth in poultry supply this quarter.

He added that the DA had already sent samples to Australia for DNA testing, to find out if the virus strain infecting the chickens is a new genotype and if the current vaccines are effective.

According to Reaño, fighting cocks are the carriers of the disease and he urged owners to have their animals vaccinated. He also advised the owners to refrain from transporting their cocks, especially across waters, and to keep their premises clean. -Aya Tantiangco/NB, GMA News