Authorities in Philippines announced today that they have imposed a temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products from France, South Korea and the Netherlands, where the H5N8 avian flu virus has been detected.
The Philippines' Department of Agriculture announcement on Thursday came one day after an official disclosed that his country has “eradicated” bird flu less than a year after the disease of poultry, which can be transmitted to people, reemerged in the country.
“We have eradicated avian influenza or bird flu. We are already free of the disease as declared by the Bureau of Animal Industry. The declaration report will then be signed by the Secretary," Agriculture Undersecretary for Livestock William Medrano said in a briefing.
The Philippines' import ban has been widened weeks after first temporarily halted poultry purchases from Poland from last month because of the outbreak of the highly pathogenic strain.
After more than two years of enjoying the bird flu-free status, the Department of Agriculture announced the reemergence of avian influenza in a quail farm in Nueva Ecija in March 2020. In July of the same year, officials said the disease was contained in the area. Infection control strategies include culling of infected animals and disinfection of contaminated areas.
The bird flu was also detected in a poultry farm in Pampanga and a backyard farm in Rizal last year.
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