BAI: No new bird flu outbreaks in Tarlac

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) yesterday clarified that there are no new bird flu outbreaks in Tarlac as it dismissed reports of new confirmed cases in the province.

The BAI, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, said there is currently no confirmed laboratory result showing an outbreak of bird flu or avian influenza in Tarlac.

It said the last official confirmed bird flu case in Tarlac was recorded in December 2023.

The bureau reminded the public that its Animal Diagnosis and Reference Laboratory has the sole authority to officially detect and confirm cases of bird flu through standardized testing protocols.

Under the government’s bird flu protocol, only the BAI chief can officially declare an outbreak of the disease in a given area.

“The BAI takes the health and safety of our poultry industry very seriously. We urge the public and the media to rely on verified information and official statements from the BAI,” the bureau said.

There are only two ongoing bird flu cases in the country, which are both in Pampanga, based on BAI data as of July 19.

The data also showed that 129 barangays in 50 municipalities across eight provinces remain affected by bird flu.

To date, only 47 municipalities in 17 provinces have been declared free of the disease.

There is no area yet in Tarlac that has been declared free from the disease since the last case was put under control, according to BAI data.

Recent media reports quoted Philippine Egg Board Association president Francis Uyehara as saying that some commercial farms in Tarlac had tested positive for bird flu.

Uyehara, in a radio interview, said some farms do not report occurrences of high mortality that could be caused by bird flu.