After an outbreak of avian flu was detected in poultry farms in San Luis, Pampanga, government has taken steps to contain the outbreak. The Department of Agriculture has began culling of infected poultry and has temporarily stopped the shipment of fowl from Luzon to other parts of the country as a precaution.
According to the Philippine Star, the Department of Health-Central Luzon Epidemiology Unit has discovered that the chickens were infected with the strain of the highly pathogenic type A, subtype H5 which cannot be passed to humans.
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1. The Department of Agriculture has contained the infection in the area, by culling over 400,000 chickens and fowl found within the 1-km quarantine zone. According to the department, they will also include stray birds as much as they can. As a precautionary measure, the department also ordered a ban on shipping poultry from Luzon to other parts of the Philippines, to prevent the possible spread of the virus.
2. The strain that was discovered by the health department is influenza type A, subtype H5, which according to the World Health Organization is “distinct from human influenza viruses and do not easily transmit between humans.” Reports also say that no animal-to-human transmission has been found in San Luis and nearby towns, and that the possibility of such transmission is low.
3. To protect oneself from infection, DOH also advised the public especially those living in San Luis to take very simple but important precautions. Personal hygiene through proper hand washing is needed. When sneezing or coughing, people should cover their mouths. People are also advised to stay away from wild birds or poultry farms with live chickens. If one is suffering from flu-like symptoms, a visit to the nearest doctor is highly recommended.
4. When cooking or handling raw chicken, proper sanitation must be observed. The health department also reminds the public to cook chicken and eggs properly to make sure that it is thoroughly cooked and not raw.
5. To assure the public about the government’s readiness to deal with avian flu, the health department said that it has the technical capacity to determine if there is human infection as well as the “supply of antiflu medication and commodities whenever regional health offices and hospitals will require these.”