MANILA, Philippines- Ipinag-utos ng Department of Agriculture (DA) ang temporary ban sa importasyon ng ‘wild at domestic birds’ mula Belgium matapos na mapaulat ang bird flu outbreak.
Sa katunayan, nagpalabas si Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. ng Memorandum Order No. 20 para pangalagaan ang local poultry industry mula H5N1 virus, na natuklasan na kabilang sa domestic birds sa Belgian cities ng Sint-Niklaas, Oost-Vlaanderen, at Vlaanderen noong Pebrero 17.
Saklaw lang din ng temporary ban ang avian products kabilang na ang poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, at semen.
“Secretary Tiu Laurel further ordered the immediate suspension of the processing and evaluation of applications for sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for these agricultural goods,” ayon sa DA.
Idagdag pa rito, nilinaw naman ng DA na ang shipments mula Belgium na kasalukuyan nang nasa biyahe o tinanggap ng Philippine ports bago pa ang temporary ban ay mananatiling papayagan na makapasok, iyon nga lamang “these were slaughtered or produced before February 3, 2025.”
“Shipments not meeting these conditions will either be sent back to Belgium, shipped to a third country, or seized and destroyed. Veterinary quarantine officers are required to confiscate all non-compliant shipments, except for heat-treated products,” ang sinabi ng DA.
Samantala, ayon naman World Health Organization, ang human cases ng H5N1 o avian flu “are mostly linked to close contact with infected birds and other animals and contaminated environments.”
Idinagdag pa nito na “it does not appear to transmit easily from person to person, and sustained human-to-human transmission has not been reported.” Kris Jose
