DOH on heightened alert amid bird flu outbreak in Pampanga

The Department of Health on Saturday was on "heightened alert" amid the bird flu outbreak at poultry farms in San Luis, Pampanga, a DOH official said.

DOH Secretary Paulyn Ubial told radio dzBB that all hospitals and other health facilities in Pampanga are under heightened monitoring due the avian flu threat.

"Ang pinaghahandaan namin yung heightened surveillance sa lahat ng mga ospital at health facilities diyan sa Pampanga. Nagpalabas na kami ng advisory [ukol dito], she said.

Moreover, Ubial has instructed local health officials to "test" individuals showing influenza-like illness for more than three days.

Dapat "ite-testing yung mga may flu na more than three days or yung mas malala kaysa the usual trangkaso --ubo't sipon."

Earlier, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol revealed that the outbreak of avian influenza Type-A, sub-type H4 began in a quail farm before the virus spread to poultry farms in Barangay San Agustin in San Luis town.

Some 37,000 birds have already died from the virus, and a number of farms have reported a mortality rate of as high as 100 percent.

Meanwhile, Ubial said that the DOH has been monitoring and has stepped up its surveillance of cases of human flu-like illnesses following the reported human influenza outbreaks in Hongkong and India a few months ago.

A team of epidemiologists has been dispatched to assist the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the DOH has pre-positioned about 3,000 test kits in Region 3 or Central Luzon, Ubial said.

"By Monday mag-iikot na ang ating epidemiologists to find out kung meron nang increased number of cases of influenza."

She assured the people that only chickens are affected by the virus, noting that the DOH is working with the DA on providing protective equipment to poultry farmers.

"Nagko-collaborate po tayo with DA para mabigyan ng personal protective equipment yung poultry workers at magsasagawa nung disinfection nung mga area with suspected bird flu cases at bibigyan natin sila ng mga vaccination for influenza," she said.

"And then nagkakaroon na rin tayo ng mga advisory sa mga poultry handlers on how to ensure that they are kept free from avian influenza," she added.

'Safe to eat'

Ubial assured the public that "properly cooked chicken remains safe to eat."

"Hindi po nakukuha ang avian flu sa gastrointestinal... so kahit na kumain tayo ng infected na meat hindi po natin makukuha... ito po ay nakukuha sa respiratory, yung nalalanghap po."

"Ang talagang at risk diyan ay yung poultry handlers at saka yung nagkakatay ng manok. Pero yung kumakain ng manok wala na pong risk yan kasi naluto na yung manok at hindi naman sa pagkain nata-transmit ang virus," she added. —LBG, GMA News