THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has declared Bulacan province free of H5N1 avian influenza (AI).
In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said the declaration was made “as it has been 90 days since the cleaning and disinfection of poultry facilities and the last surveillance which yielded negative results.”
Prior to the declaration, the DA implemented stringent measures, including depopulation, disinfection, and logistics restrictions, in 135 poultry facilities registered in Bulacan.
Surveillance zones of 1 and 7 kilometers were put up around infected farms.
Based on monitoring reports of the Bureau of Animal Industry, infections were recorded among ducks, quail, native chicken, chicken layers, and broiler breeders in Baliwag City, Pulilan, Santa Maria, San Rafael, San Miguel, and San Ildefonso from January 2022 to February 2023.
The last H5N1 infection was reported in a game fowl farm in Santa Maria in early May 2023. (PNA)
Bulacan now free of bird flu – DA
