DA declares CamSur bird flu-free

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has declared the province of Camarines Sur free from avian influenza or bird flu.

In a statement on Thursday, the DA said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. issued a Memorandum Circular No. 27 on Wednesday declaring the Bicol region province as bird flu-free five months after the province’s last recorded case of the highly pathogenic H5N9 bird flu virus.

The declaration came following a comprehensive disease control and surveillance campaign after the last confirmed case detected in April 2025 at a backyard duck farm in the municipality of Camaligan.

After the detection, the provincial and municipal governments, in coordination with the DA’s Regional Field Office V and the Bureau of Animal Industry, swiftly implemented containment measures under the Avian Influenza Protection Program, according to the Agriculture Department.

Measures included disease investigation, immediate depopulation of affected poultry, cleaning and disinfection, movement restrictions, and active surveillance.

The DA said that subsequent monitoring within one-kilometer and seven-kilometer zones surrounding the infected area yielded no further positive cases of the influenza A virus.

Prior to the H5N9 incident, Camarines Sur had also reported cases of H5N1 in 2022.

For his part, Tiu Laurel said the declaration is in accordance with guidelines set by the World Organization for Animal Health, which allows an area to regain bird flu-free status 28 days after a successful stamping-out operation, followed by disinfection and the absence of new cases during post-outbreak surveillance.

The Agriculture chief also cautioned that the bird flu-free status may be immediately revoked if a new confirmed case arises. 

With this, the Department of Agriculture said it remains committed to vigilance and rapid response to prevent any recurrence of avian influenza in the province.

The DA said Camarines Sur is not among the country’s top 10 producers of chicken or duck. 

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed national chicken production rose by 6.8% in 2024 to 2.08 million metric tons, with its market value increasing by 11% to P278.66 billion. 

Duck production, on the other hand, remained flat at 29,960 metric tons, valued at P5.16 billion. — Ted Cordero/RF, GMA Integrated News