Bulacan declared free from avian influenza
THE entire province of Bulacan has been declared free of the highly pathogenic avian influenza, particularly the H5N1 strain.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said the declaration of AI-free status was done more than 90 days since the cleaning and disinfection activities and the last surveillance which yielded negative results.
Bulacan recorded several cases of H5N1 infections in Baliwag City, and in the towns of Pulilan, Santa Maria, San Rafael, San Miguel and San Ildefonso between January 2022 and February last year.
The infections were reported on ducks, quail, native chickens, chicken layers, broiler breeders and gamefowl during the 14-month period.
Depopulation, disinfection and transport restrictions were implemented to prevent further spread of the animal infection.
One-kilometer and seven-kilometer surveillance zones were put up in infected farmers and tests yielded negative results for the virus.
According to the Bureau of Animal Industry’s AI monitoring, the last reported H5N1 infection was in early May last year in a gamefowl farm in Santa Maria.
As of March 2024, there are 135 registered poultry facilities in Bulacan.
