GOVERNMENT agencies went into high alert over imported chicken meat after the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, which has killed more than 200 people and ravaged poultry flocks worldwide since 2003, was detected in several areas in China and Taiwan.
The Bureau of Customs, Manila International Airport Authority and the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group stepped up measures to monitor all chicken meat imports and ensure that the Philippines remains free of the deadly virus.
“We have to be strict on this because chicken meat is the most saleable food item at this time of the year,” said Undersecretary Antonio Villar, head of the anti-smuggling group.
Commissioner Napoleon Morales ordered Customs agents to x-ray and inspect all reefer containers before these are transported to the importers’ cold storage facilities.
Morales said the importation of chicken was regulated. Importers must secure permits from the Bureau of Animal Industry and the National Meat Inspection Commission.
Airport authorities also said they were extra vigilant on the possible arrival of people carrying the deadly virus.
“Suspected avian flu carriers will be immediately isolated and brought to the nearest hospital,” airport general manager Alfonso Cusi said.
The agencies announced the stricter measures after the Food and Agriculture Organization detected the virus in chicken farms in Dongtai City and Haian county, both in the eastern province of Jiangsu in China, leading to the culling of 377,000 chickens in the two areas.
But the FAO played down fears over an outbreak of bird flu in China, saying a few cases in winter wasn’t a worry.
“We are going to see how it evolves. If for some reason there were more outbreaks and it was spreading, then I would say I am concerned, but today not at all,” said Vincent Martin, senior technical adviser for the FAO in China.
“Today we are just monitoring the situation. Having a few outbreaks in the winter time in this place is not a real concern,” he said, stressing that the virus had not been detected in any other location.
China has had several bird flu outbreaks this year, leading to the deaths of three Chinese, according to earlier reports.
Martin said the FAO had been notified by Chinese authorities on Tuesday about the outbreak, which could have been triggered by migratory birds.
“The situation in China has been improving, and during the last year we had less outbreaks of avian flu,” Martin said.
“The Chinese government is doing quite a lot of surveillance, and they are also implementing a massive vaccination campaign.”
The discovery in Jiangsu comes after an outbreak in Hong Kong last week resulted in the slaughter of more than 90,000 chickens. With AFP
By Joel E. Zurbano and Vito Barcelo
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