AS an outbreak of bird flu finally hits the Philippines after almost 20 years of being avian influenza-free, the local government of Muntinlupa launched last Friday an interagency inspection of public markets to stave off the possible spread of bird flu and secure the safety of meat and poultry products sold in the city.
The Office of the City Veterinarian (OCV) headed a surprise inspection at the Alabang Public Market to ensure locally retailed meat and poultry items are safe for human consumption and free from avian flu.
Joining the inspection were Muntinlupa City Health Office, Muntinlupa Business Permits and Licensing Office, Muntinlupa City Public Market Office and Muntinlupa Public Information Office.
Muntinlupa City Veterinarian Dra. Pamela Hernandez said this will be the first rounds of an intensive scrutiny across meat stalls, shops and establishments in the city.
“Even though the majority of Muntinlupa’s poultry and meat supply comes from the South and the National Capital Region, we will continue to conduct surveillance to guarantee that retailed meat in the city is free from contamination,” she said.
While there was only one broiler identified as having the flu virus in one of the barangays in Muntinlupa, she added the OCV will keep on monitoring areas where birds and chickens, in particular, are being raised.
Hernandez said their office coordinates with supermarkets and meat handlers regarding the proactive response of the city government on the bird-flu outbreak.
During the inspection, OCV seized meat and poultry products weighing 188 kilograms not fit for human consumption.
These included pork lungs, pork head, pork entrails, pork ear (imported), chicken byproducts, carabeef and chicken liver. They were then brought to Pacwood, Tunasan for proper disposal.
At the height of this concern, Mayor Jaime Fresnedi called for vigilance among locals in buying poultry products and exposing people to birds and chicken.
To report suspicious sudden death of birds and chicken, the public is advised to coordinate with the OCV in Muntinlupa located at 4th floor Annex Building, Muntinlupa City Hall, Putatan with contact number (02)8623866.
Muntinlupa City is in close coordination with the Department of Agriculture (DA) in the prevention of the outbreak.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol recently confirmed the outbreak of avian-influenza virus (bird flu) in San Luis, Pampanga, the first case for the country.
The DA will cull at least 400,000 birds within the town of San Luis, Pampanga. to avoid the spread of the virus. Pampanga Gov. Lilia G. Pineda put the province under a state of calamity on August 11.
Over the weekend, the avian-influenza pandemic was also declared in the towns of Jaen and San Isidro in Nueva Ecija.
Health authorities guaranteed the public, however, the H5 strain of the bird flu that affected both provinces does not transfer to humans.
The Department of Health has so far not reported yet of any case of poultry-to-human contamination of the virus.
The chicken industry in the Philippines is eastimated to be worth P100 billion, with approximately 800 million broilers annually.
Not included here are the quail- and duck-raising sectors in Pampanga and other Central Luzon areas.
Based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, chickens aggregated to 178.77 million as of January 1, 2016, or 1.3 percent higher than previous stocks.
Broilers (or chickens grown for meat) totaled 66 million, with 29 percent came from Central Luzon.
There are about 32 million layers nationwide, with Calabarzon, Central Luzon and Northern Mindanao accounting for 73 percent of egg production. Native and imported birds totaled 80.85 million, majority of which came from Central Luzon, Northern Mindanao and Western Visayas.