September 29, 2005

Philippines readies fund for potential bird flu threat

The Philippines has prepared a fund of 250 million pesos (US$4.46 million) in anticipation of a bird flu threat in the region.

The agriculture department said that it would set aside 20 million pesos from this fund for checkpoints to monitor the movement of chickens and migratory birds.

The department has also enforced a tighter surveillance of illegal trade of exotic birds in the southern islands bordering bird-flu affected countries, such as Indonesia.

Although the Philippines has remained bird-flu free, it was nevertheless paramount that a good contingency plan be put in place now, the department said.

Official statistics show that at least 65 people, including 40 in Vietnam, have been killed by the H5N1 strain of bird flu since the virus first broke out among poultry in Asia in late 2003.