September 30, 2004

Philippines Remains Free Of Bird Flu

The Philippines is still free of bird flu, despite reports of possible cases near the Spratly islands, located northwest of the country, according to a senior official with the Department of Agriculture on Wednesday.
 
In a statement, Jose Molina, director at the Bureau of Animal Industry, said there is no way that avian influenza has affected the Spratlys, since there is very little poultry or human inhabitants there except for soldiers manning the area.
 
"There is yet no sign of any significant trade or flow of birds to and from the Spratlys to Palawan and the rest of the Philippines," Molina said.
 
The Malaysian government is looking into the possibility that the virus has surfaced near the Spratlys, after Malaysian navy personnel displayed flu-like symptoms last week after patrolling the area.
 
The Spratlys, a group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, is the subject of a territorial dispute between Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines.
 
According to Molina, the country's Palawan province, which is closest to the Spratlys, is being closely monitored along with 20 other provinces by the Bureau of Animal Industry's bird flu task force for the presence of migratory birds.
 
Molina said intensive quarantine controls have been put in place by the government in Palawan province to prevent any entry of poultry or wild birds from nearby Malaysia and Indonesia.
 
Bird flu has affected many countries across Asia.