Tarlac investigates report of bird flu outbreak

Despite a Philippine Egg Board Association report of chickens testing positive for bird flu at a Tarlac commercial farm, provincial veterinarian Dr. Maria Baculanta says her office is conducting blood sampling, and no cases have been detected yet

PAMPANGA, Philippines – The Tarlac provincial veterinary office, on Monday, July 29, said it is investigating recent claims of a bird flu outbreak following a report of positive cases in the province.

Dr. Maria Lorna Baculanta, Tarlac provincial veterinarian, said no evidence of avian influenza has been found so far. No adverse health effects have been reported in chickens or people, she said.

“We have been actively collecting blood samples from the farms, and so far, no mortalities have been reported, and the chickens are healthy. Our ongoing blood tests will confirm this,” Baculanta told Rappler in Filipino.

Blood samples from two poultry farms in Capas were conducted on Monday and results are expected by Wednesday, she said.

According to a Philippine Star report, the Philippine Egg Board Association (PEBA) said chickens at a commercial farm tested positive for bird flu. 

“The chickens were being transported when they died. Upon examination, the chickens tested positive for bird flu,” Star quoted PEBA president Francis Uyehara as saying.

“We are considering that there are other farms that do not report or test their chicken for bird flu. This is the reason why we don’t have a clear reference on the extent of the bird flu problem,” he also said.

Rappler reached out to PEBA for an updated response. We will update this story once we hear from them.

According to Baculanta, the initial report from the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory mentioned that there was a case of culled chicken in Benguet that had been detected positive for bird flu last week and traced the source to a poultry farm in Capas. However, the address provided was incorrect and belonged to a different farm. 

Culled chickens are identified as non-laying or low producing hens from a laying flock.

“If there were indeed an outbreak, we would have seen a significant increase in mortalities within days. From time to time we conduct blood sampling,” she added.

Baculanta said they are already expediting the laboratory analysis as the recent weather disruptions caused by Typhoon Carina had delayed sample collection.

Baculanta also assured the public that measures are in place to ensure the health and safety of poultry in the province. – Rappler.com