To prevent the spread of the avian influenza virus that affected poultry farms in Pampanga, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has ordered regional offices to suspend the issuance of permit for transport of any wild-bird species from Pampanga and nearby provinces.
A memorandum signed by Undersecretary for Planning, Policy and International Affairs Jonas R. Leones was circulated to the DENR’s regional offices on Monday morning.
Aside from suspending the issuance of transport permits, the DENR official also ordered to “strengthen enforcement measures, including strict surveillance in checkpoints, airports and seaports.”
They were, likewise, “enjoined to undertake regular monitoring of migratory bird sites to detect any incidence of wild-bird die offs.”
Should they encounter dead wild birds, DENR field personnel were advised to immediately hand them over to the nearest Department of Agriculture (DA) regional office for the “collection and analysis of samples to detect avian flu”.
The samples will be added to those that will be sent by the DA’s Bureau of Animal Industry to the Australian Animal Health Laboratory, which is a reference laboratory certified by the World Organization for Animal Health, an intergovernmental organization responsible for improving animal health worldwide.
Regional offices of the DENR were also ordered to conduct awareness and education campaign to protect the migratory birds and their habitats.
As soon as the news of the outbreak came out, the DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) immediately cautioned the public against approaching migratory birds.
“We discourage the killing or poaching of migratory birds because this could only worsen the situation,” BMB Director Theresa S. Mundita Lim said. As a licensed veterinarian, Lim cited a 2011 administrative order creating an interagency committee on zoonosis, which is defined as “a disease that can be transmitted to humans from animals”.
Lim said there should be “proper epidemiological assessments” together with the DA and the Department of Health before making recommendations to manage the disease.
“The annual bird-migration season in the Philippines is expected to start around September for their southward migration, and return to their breeding grounds by March in the following year for the northward migration,” Lim said.
The Philippines is a part of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, which is essential in providing areas for the temporary refuge of migratory birds.