Bird Flu Outbreak

[Jollygoodfellow]

With the recent outbreak of bird flu chicken might getter harder to find more so if it keeps spreading. 

Philippine troops to help cull 600,000 fowl in bird flu battle

 

MANILA (REUTERS) - The Philippines will deploy hundreds of troops to hasten a cull of about 600,000 fowl, the Agriculture Secretary said on Wednesday (Aug 16), as part of efforts to rein in the South-east Asian nation's first outbreak of bird flu.

There has been no case of human transmission after the flu was detected on a farm in the province of Pampanga, about 75km north of the capital Manila, but it has spread to about 36 other farms and nearly 40,000 birds have died.

"I have asked the Philippine army to provide us with additional warm bodies to help us in depopulating the farms," Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol told a news conference.

 

"Six hundred thousand (fowl) is no mean job. Our personnel are facing a difficult task and we lack people."

Mr Pinol said the government had about 200 men in the area, but fewer than 20,000 birds had been culled since the outbreak was reported.

Brigadier-General Rodel Mairo Alarcon said at least 300 soldiers would be sent to the province on Thursday (Aug 17) to assist in the culling of chickens, quails and ducks.

"The Philippine army and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are 100 per cent in support of this effort," Brig-Gen Alarcon said.

Soldiers will be given protective gear and doses of a drug, Tamiflu, to guard against possible infection.

Two sick farm workers from the area have tested negative for the virus, Health Ministry spokesman Eric Tayag said.

Although the Health Ministry has yet to identify the specific strain of the virus that hit the Philippines, health and farm officials say initial tests have ruled out the highly pathogenic H5N1.

Samples are being sent to Australia for further testing to determine the presence of the N6 variety of the strain.

The Philippines is the latest country in Asia, Africa and Europe and Africa to suffer the spread of bird flu viruses in recent months. Many strains infect only birds, but the H7N9 strain has led to human cases, including deaths, in China.

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/philippine-troops-to-help-cull-thousands-of-fowl-in-bird-flu-battle

[Gary D]

Lots of cheap chicken in the markets for a while

[Old55]

I pray the authorities can contain this effectively.

[Dave Hounddriver]

10 hours ago, Old55 said:

I pray the authorities can contain this effectively.

Looking at the vast numbers of chickens who have already contracted the disease ("Six hundred thousand (fowl) is no mean job. Our personnel are facing a difficult task and we lack people.") I'd say that bird has flown.

[sonjack2847]

19000 kilos were siezed in Luzon which were contaminated but they tried to sell it.I wonder how many prized fighting cocks will have to go.I did read that magnolia chickens are not infected.

[Snowy79]

1 hour ago, sonjack2847 said:

19000 kilos were siezed in Luzon which were contaminated but they tried to sell it.I wonder how many prized fighting cocks will have to go.I did read that magnolia chickens are not infected.

Manufactuting a virus that kills cockerels, now theres a plan. We've already mastered brown outs to cure karaoke. This could be the icing on the cake. 

[Gary D]

The BIL had a small flock of chickens, about 200, that went down with fowl pest. The whole lot were sold by the end of the day. The biggest suprise is that anyone noticed they had an outbreak of bird flu.

[mogo51]

6 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Looking at the vast numbers of chickens who have already contracted the disease ("Six hundred thousand (fowl) is no mean job. Our personnel are facing a difficult task and we lack people.") I'd say that bird has flown.

Yep

[mogo51]

Maybe Kentucky F...d Chook might be a starter???  You would not know the difference.

[Jollygoodfellow]

Philippines on alert for bird flu cases in humans
 

MANILA: The Philippines started monitoring suspected bird flu cases in humans after 34 farm workers in two towns north of the capital Manila developed flu-like symptoms after direct exposure to ­infected fowl.

Officials from the Departments of Health and Agriculture said laboratory tests in Australia confirmed an outbreak of the deadly H5N6 strain of the bird flu virus.

The strain is transmissible to humans, but the mortality rate is low.

Health Minister Paulyn Ubial told a news conference the 34 suspected cases of bird flu infection in humans were detected in provinces of Pampanga and Nueva Ecija, on the main Philippine island of Luzon, north of the capital Manila.

“They developed fever, cough and cold,” she said, adding some of them had diarrhoea.

“All of them had direct exposure to fowls and they developed common symptoms of influenza. They were already given medicines but we are now monitoring their condition.”

The Philippines has culled more than 470,000 chickens, ducks and quails in three towns in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija since Aug 11, a day after government confirmed the first bird flu outbreak in the country. — Reuters

Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2017/08/27/philippines-on-alert-for-bird-flu-cases-in-humans/#40c6MWkao4JamRZL.99