Customs on alert vs new swine flu

CEBU, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is on alert for the possible entry of a new strain of swine flu virus through imported pork and other meat products.

Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero has directed all customs port officials to be vigilant and examine carefully all reefer containers to ensure that dangerous pork and pork-related products will not be allowed entry into the country.

“The Bureau of Customs maintains its steadfast commitment to guard the national borders against any threat to the safety of the general public,” he said in a statement.

Pork and chicken from China are already banned because of foot and mouth disease and bird flu, but a new swine flu called G4, genetically descended from H1N1, could cause another pandemic while the country is still grappling with COVID-19.

To further strengthen border control, the bureau launched the guidelines on the Electronic Tracking of Containerized Cargo System (E-TRACC System) which basically cater for examination of reefer importations in various BOC ports nationwide.

Guerrero said the bureau has been closely monitoring agricultural and other food items from China to ensure that proper procedures are followed to guarantee the safety of consumers and prevent the entry of food that may contain diseases.

Imported foods such as meat products undergo initial examination by the Department of Agriculture and BOC examiners before they are released from the ports, he said.

After initial examination, the reefer container is sealed by BAI for 100 percent examination by the National Meat Inspection Service in its accredited storage warehouse.

All imported meat products are also strictly inspected by the Quarantine Officers of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

The new swine flu strain found in China, according to the study published Monday in the US science journal PNAS, had “all the essential hallmarks” to infect humans and raised fears over another potential pandemic.

But China’s foreign ministry played down the threat of a new swine flu strain with pandemic potential on Wednesday. KQD (FREEMAN)