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[av_heading heading=’ DA activates reg’l bird flu task force ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY JAMES EARL E. OGATIS
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Thursday, August 17, 2017
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ILOILO City – With the recent outbreak of avian influenza (AI) or bird flu in the town of San Luis, Pampanga, the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 6 activated the regional avian influenza task force to ensure Western Visayas remains an AI-free region.
Director Remelyn Recoter stressed the region has a vital role to play being the entry point from Luzon via the roll on, roll off (roro) vessel through the Caticlan jetty port in Malay, Aklan.
She urged members of the Regional Advisory Council for Animal Disease Control and Emergency (RAC-ADCE) to be actively involved in monitoring, surveillance and reporting any unusual poultry mortalities, sighting of migratory birds apart from identified landing areas and suspected poultry products from other areas.
Considering that the region has two international airports with routes to and from previously bird flu-affected countries, Recoter instructed animal quarantine personnel to strictly enforce quarantine laws 24/7.
The task force is composed of five teams. These are the following:
- Surveillance
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Animal Control Movement
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Laboratory Diagnosis
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Public Information
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Database/GIS and Vaccination
The teams immediately crafted action plans and strategies to mobilize their respective personnel in line with their mandate.
Western Visayas has a total population of 3,106,753 heads of broiler, 934,967 layer and 7,855,082 native chicken.
It has an average monthly requirement of 50,000 dressed chicken and 3.3 million table eggs.
Recoter directed REC-ADCE members to identify possible sources of chicken meat and eggs in cases of prolonged restriction of poultry and poultry by-products from Luzon.
Meanwhile, Jesse E. Pareja, the RAC-ADCE president, assured the group of the sufficient supply of eggs which can be sourced out from the province of Negros Occidental.
The deputized quarantine officer at Caticlan port through roro has apprehended and shipped back to Batangas about 6,000 pieces of balut since the issuance of the memorandum circular on the temporary ban on the movement of live domestic and wild birds and their products. (DA-6/PN)
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