Philippines confirms first case of H5N9 bird flu
The Department of Agriculture (DA), which oversees the BAI, confirmed that laboratory tests showed positive results for the highly pathogenic Type A Subtype H5N9 virus. Although the strain is known to spread rapidly and cause severe illness in birds, the DA stated that it poses only a low risk to humans unless there is prolonged and repeated exposure.
First identified in the United States earlier this year, the H5N9 virus is believed to be a mutation of previously circulating bird flu strains. In the Philippines, local livestock have already been affected by other variants, including H5N1, H5N2, and H5N6.
The last recorded outbreak occurred in January and involved the H5N2 strain in Camarines Norte, affecting 15 out of 428 backyard ducks, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health.
In response to the latest case, the BAI has rolled out immediate containment efforts in the Bicol Region. These include quarantine enforcement, culling of infected birds, heightened surveillance, and coordination with local government units and the Department of Health to monitor for any possible human transmission.
The DA added that extended disease control measures are being carried out within a 1-kilometre and a 7-kilometre radius of the outbreak site. These include thorough cleaning and disinfection to curb further spread of the virus.
As of April 25, avian influenza continues to affect four regions and eight provinces, including Kalinga, Benguet, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Bataan, Bulacan, Laguna, and Manila.
The Philippines first reported bird flu in 2005 during a global wave of poultry infections. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
Smooth operator? Hawker caught using kitchen knife to shave legs
Compiled by TARRENCE TAN and BEH YUEN HUI A STREET vendor was reportedly using the same knife to cut food and shave her legs, China Press reported. Her act was exposed by a netizen, identified only as Bai. According to Bai, the hawker selling burgers in Weifang of China's Shandong province had used a knife to chop ingredients. 'When there were no customers, the vendor used the same knife to shave her legs and trim her fingernails,' said the whistleblower, who witnessed the act on July 19. The incident went viral on Chinese social media platforms, drawing widespread criticism. > Sin Chew Daily reported that a man in Kelantan has taken it upon himself to repair the damaged walkways outside Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II in Kota Baru. An online video shows sidewalks around the hospital in disrepair, overgrown with weeds and riddled with potholes. Many healthcare workers have to walk carefully to avoid tripping. 'This is not an ordinary road – it's the route medical staff take to work and a place where patients can get some fresh air,' the man said. He began the repair work after obtaining permission from the hospital's security personnel, toiling under the blazing sun, pulling weeds and clearing rubbish. His heartwarming actions have moved some social media users, who labelled him 'a true urban hero'. Concerned netizens have since urged authorities to pay more attention to the infrastructure surrounding hospitals. The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.
The Star
06-07-2025
- The Star
Ducks return to a century-old US farm that lost its entire flock to bird flu
Doug Corwin knew there was a problem at his family's commercial duck farm in Long Island when he spotted scores of dead or lethargic birds during a barn inspection in January. Within days, Crescent Duck Farm became a casualty of the global avian flu outbreak, one of many farms around the United States that had to cull their entire flock, sending the prices of eggs and other agricultural commodities soaring. Now the more than century- old farm – the last duck farm remaining in a New York region once synonymous with the culinary delicacy – is cautiously rebuilding. But for Corwin, a 66-year-old fourth-generation farmer, it's not enough to bring the farm back to its 100,000-bird capacity. With ducks hatched from eggs spared from slaughter, he's working to preserve the unique lineage of fowl that's allowed his family's farm to thrive even as others on Long Island fell by the wayside – all while worrying that another flu outbreak would finally wipe him out. 'All I know is I don't want to be hit again,' Corwin said. 'If I go through this twice, I'm done as a duck farmer.' For months, Corwin and his reduced staff have been thoroughly sanitising the farm's dozens of barns, clearing out hay and debris, and replacing feeders, ventilation systems, wooden and metal structures and more. Ducks have generally been less prone to serious illness and death than chickens and turkeys, but the H5N1 virus has become more virulent. At the end of May, the first wave of roughly 900 young ducks arrived from a nearby farm where they had been carefully raised in quarantine these last few months. Another batch of 900 arrived last week and some 900 more will soon make their way to the roughly 140acre (55ha ) farm in Aquebogue, which is tucked among the vineyards and agricultural lands of Long Island's North Fork, about 80 miles (129 km) east of Manhattan. By the end of next summer, Corwin hopes the first ducks will be ready to be processed and brought to market. But he says he won't rush the reopening. It will be many more months – if ever – before the operation, which processed about one million ducks for consumption annually, returns to full capacity, he said. 'I keep telling people I'm running a high hurdle race,' Corwin said. 'I've got a lot a lot of steps to get back to where we were.' Despite worries of another bird flu outbreak, Corwin is cautiously rebuilding his duck farm. Since 2022, the H5N1 strain of bird flu has been detected in all 50 states, leading to more than 1,700 recorded outbreaks affecting nearly 175 million birds, according to the most recent tally from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak at Corwin's farm shows how this strain has inflicted more damage on a wider range of species than past variants, said Dr Gavin Hitchener, director of Cornell University's Duck Research Laboratory, located a short drive away in Eastport. Ducks have generally been less prone to serious illness and death than chickens and turkeys, he said. H5N1 is also vexing American cattle farmers after the virus jumped from fowl to cattle last year. 'Something has changed in the virus' makeup that has made it more virulent,' Hitchener said. With no end to the bird flu pandemic in sight, Corwin worries he won't be able to weather another outbreak. The farm received federal compensation for its euthanised ducks, but it wasn't nearly close to the market value of the birds – never mind the expense of rebuilding in a high cost region that also includes the Hamptons, he said. Corwin hopes the federal government will, at long last, require poultry operators to vaccinate their livestock against bird flu. It's an uphill climb, given the Trump administration's deep skepticism of vaccines and the long-standing opposition of far larger, industrial poultry operations, he acknowledged. 'I would sleep an awful lot better at night. But right now I'm very nervous,' Corwin said. 'We're just playing with deck chairs on the Titanic.' The ducks newly arrived to the farm are crucial to its revival. Fully grown and approaching breeding age, the cohort of white Pekin ducks were all that survived from the more than 15,000 eggs state officials allowed the farm to spare from the winter culling after they tested negative for bird flu. That means they and their progeny carry on the unique genetic makeup the farm has honed over generations of selective breeding to build its reputation. Corwin feels that he owes it to the generations of farmers before him to have a go at reviving his duck farm. Established in 1908 by Corwin's great-grandfather, Crescent Duck Farms has been the island's lone commercial duck operation for the better part of a decade. But in the early 1960s, Long Island boasted more than 100 farms producing about two-thirds of the nation's duck output. 'I feel I owe it to the ancestors of farmers who've been here all these years and have come this far to just make a go of it,' Corwin said. 'I want to make Long Island proud.' — AP Corwin is hoping the white Pekin ducks that tested negative for bird flu and survived culling would be the key to rebuilding his family farm. — By PHILIP MARCELO/AP
The Star
02-07-2025
- The Star
South Africa reports H5N1 bird flu on poultry farms, international agency says
PARIS (Reuters) -South Africa has reported outbreaks of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza, or bird flu, on two poultry farms in the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health said on Wednesday. The outbreaks have killed 1,150 poultry birds, Paris-based WOAH said in a notification, citing South African authorities. (Reporting by Gus TrompizEditing by Ros Russell)
