MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture (DA) warned yesterday that the bird flu virus that recently hit Pampanga and Nueva Ecija is an H5N6 strain that can be passed on to humans, but assured the public that transmission rate is “very low.”
Test results from the Australian Animal Health Laboratory showed that the avian influenza first detected at a poultry farm in San Luis, Pampanga, which spread to farms in Jaen and San Isidro in Nueva Ecija, is positive for the N6 strain sub-type.
“H5N6 is one of the strains that could be transmitted to humans. With this strain, it causes low morbidity, which is the infection and transmission, and an even lower mortality or death rate among humans,” Arlene Vytiaco, head of DA-Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) animal disease and control division, said in a briefing yesterday.
Since the outbreak of the virus last Aug. 11, the DA was only able to determine the H-subtype and had to send samples to Australia for further testing of the partner subtype.
Vytiaco explained that the H5N6 strain is relatively new as it emerged only in 2013 compared to the more virulent H5N1 strain, which can also be transmitted to humans.
“Worldwide since 2013, only less than 20 cases have been detected and mostly in China. Compared with the N1 which had a 58 percent mortality rate among humans in 2004,” she said.
In Southeast Asia, three countries – Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam – have the H5N6 strain and yet no human case transmission has been reported.
“In Myanmar alone, it is already endemic to them. Ever since they had an outbreak, it’s been present until now but no mortality case has been detected,” Vytiaco said.
Despite the low transmission rate, the DA warned the public to be cautious and immediately report flu-like symptoms, especially among residents of affected areas.
“We are doing everything to contain it, the fact that it did not further spread to other areas is a sign that we were able to contain. But we cannot be complacent and we have to complete the protocols before declaring that we are free from it,” Vytiaco said.
Transmission from animals to humans can be through direct contact, either by respiratory secretion or fecal materials.
“Once it had contact with your hand and body then say you accidentally scratch your eyes, there is point of entry already. It can also be through the contaminated materials that can be sources of infection,” she said.
“Another is through chicken dung when dried, it becomes feather dust which could mix with the air we breathe,” she added.
The department said symptoms are general and similar to ordinary human influenza, which includes cough, colds, fever and lack of appetite.
“Should there be early signs, they should go to the nearest DOH (Department of Health) clinic or satellite center to have themselves checked,” Vytiaco said.
It would take 84 more days before the DA declares that the country may be bird flu free, as the process will include disinfection, rest period, restocking and cleaning in the next months.
However, this is not an assurance that the case may no longer recur as this first bird flu may lead to the country becoming more susceptible to the virus.
“There’s always the possibility if we do not change the bad ways we’ve done before. We really have to emphasize early reporting and early detection for us to have a rapid action and be able to immediately address the problem,” Vytiaco said.
The DOH yesterday maintained that the possibility of the bird flu virus spreading to humans is unlikely.
DOH spokesman Eric Tayag said the chance of the virus infecting humans is very low.
Citing data from the World Health Organization (WHO), Tayag said the last human case infected with H5N6 was reported in China last Dec. 1. 2016.
He said 16 laboratory confirmed cases of human infection with H5N6 virus, including six deaths, were recorded in China since 2014.
The first case of human infection with H5N6, Tayag said, occurred in China in 2014.
Tayag noted that bird flu outbreaks due to H5N6 were reported in China, Laos, Hong Kong, Japan, Myanmar, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and Greece.
Duterte to join chicken boodle fight
To allay fears of the consuming public, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said President Duterte himself would join a chicken boodle fight in San Fernando in Pampanga on Monday.
“The President will personally eat balut, chicken and fried itik to show that it is safe to eat chicken and other poultry products,” he said.
“He will also acknowledge the support of the LGUs and Army who helped. And award the first payments to farmers whose fowls will be culled in efforts to clean up the area,” Piñol added.
Meanwhile, a total of 470,640 poultry heads have been culled in San Luis and the P51-million compensation has been downloaded to the region.
For Nueva Ecija, over 170,000 heads have been culled and operations are expected to be finished today.
Mayor Venancio Macapagal of San Luis said it would take about three months for the poultry industry here to resume operations after all chickens, ducks and other fowl were finally culled after the outbreak of bird flu last week in some local farms.
Macapagal said classes in Barangay San Carlos, the “ground zero” for avian flu in the town, resumed yesterday after being suspended for several days because of the foul smell from the hundreds of thousands of chickens culled and buried at the affected poultry farms.
The mayor also said he has not received a report of any bird flu-related ailment among residents.
Vytiaco, of the BAI, said that confirmatory results of a study being done by a laboratory in Australia on the N1 strain of the avian flu virus, which could be transmitted to humans, were expected to arrive today.
“Things are better now than before. The bad smell is gone and the kids in San Carlos are back to school after barangay officials asked that their classes be suspended when there was foul smell,” Macapagal said.
He said the government has provided an assistance of P5,000 each to some 20 workers in the affected poultry in Barangays San Carlos and Sta. Rita, both regarded as ground zero for the avian flu case in the town.
At least 13,000 chickens were culled on Wednesday in adjacent San Simon, Pampanga.
The culling of chickens is part of the provincial government’s preventive measure against spreading bird flu in the province.
According to Alexander Manansala, owner of Manansala Poultry Farm in Barangay Sto. Niño, he voluntarily turned over the 13,000 chickens he raised after the ban on shipment of poultry products was imposed. With Mayen Jaymalin, Ding Cervantes, Ric Sapnu