EDITORIAL - Bird flu alert must be taken seriously

For the first time ever, a bird flu outbreak has been recorded in this country, and it has affected a chicken farm in Pampanga. Acting swiftly, the Department of Agriculture has quarantined this farm and a few other farms nearby. It has also ordered the culling of nearly half-a-million chickens, ducks, and quails suspected of being affected.

Not to be outdone, the Department of Health has issued guidelines regarding proper sanitation and hygiene, especially when handling or cooking meat from fowls. So far, the disease has not jumped to humans. But that is no reason to be complacent. Having surfaced for the first time in the Philippines, the country has no prior experience in handling the disease.

Most sources suggest that it is quite difficult for humans to contract the disease unless they come into regular contact with susceptible animals, like farms workers do. And while it is extremely rare for human-to-human transmission of the disease, cases have in fact been recorded in some places in Asia, most particularly in China. In effect, it is possible for humans to come down with the disease.

And that is why it makes perfect sense for the concerned agencies to act swiftly, just like the DA and the DOH did. The Department of Interior and Local Government, for instance, might want to come into the picture by requiring local governments to report and monitor the presence of poultry farms in their respective areas.

Cebu, for example, is home to many poultry farms, especially in the north like Bantayan Island, which is recognized as the egg basket of the Visayas. So while the outbreak has been reported, and hopefully confined and contained only in Pampanga, it is prudent for the government and for the poultry industry itself to act in a preventive manner.

Steps must be taken to ensure no infected animals make their way in or out of Cebu. As much as possible, Cebu and the rest of the areas outside the affected locality in Pampanga need to ensure they remain disease-free. This is not just to safeguard the health of humans, it is also to protect the economic integrity of those who depend on the chicken industry for a living.