Cagayan Valley now bird flu-free

The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday declared Cagayan Valley an avian influenza-free province.

This decision comes after continued disease monitoring and surveillance in the one-kilometer and seven-kilometer surveillance zones surrounding the affected farms yielded negative test results for influenza type A virus, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in Memorandum Circular No. 46.

He added that over 90 days had passed since the end of the cleaning and disinfection operations, and surveillance activities yielded negative avian influenza test results.

“Our goal is to ensure the country has enough supply of food that is not only affordable but safe for public consumption,” the Agri-chief said.

“It is also our duty to protect the local poultry industry, which creates millions of jobs and generates billions in investments.”

In January 2023, the DA recorded one confirmed H5N1 case in the municipality of Solana, affecting gamefowls.

Cagayan’s provincial government and the concerned municipal government, in coordination with the DA, conducted a disease investigation, immediate depopulation, cleaning and disinfection, movement restrictions, and surveillance in the affected premises.

“Before last year’s avian influenza cases, Cagayan had been free of bird flu due to disease control measures, including biosecurity, cleaning and disinfection, and quarantine activities,” the DA noted.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority shows that Cagayan Valley accounts for nearly 10 percent of local poultry yield in the second quarter of this year.