MANILA — Eight regions in the country still have ongoing outbreaks of avian influenza, the Department of Health said Friday.

Avian flu is a disease that has no cure or treatment and causes high mortality in wild and domestic birds such as ducks, chickens and turkeys, among others.

The DOH, however, has yet to release the list of affected regions.

In a virtual town hall forum, Dr. Alethea De Guzman, director of DOH's epidemiology bureau, said Ilocos Sur and North Cotabato had reported ongoing cases of avian influenza in native chickens and ducks, with 7 and 1 farms affected, respectively.

Meanwhile, 9 municipalities in total from Camarines Sur, Davao del Sur and Bataan have recovered from avian influenza, she added.

• Ecuador reports human infected with bird flu

The Philippines has yet to report a case of a human being infected with the bird flu.

The human cases of the globally-spreading disease have been recorded in 21 countries, the latest found in Ecuador.

On Jan. 7, Ecuador reported its first human case of avian influenza, involving a 9-year-old girl who is presumed to have contact with infected birds domestically.

An outbreak of avian bird flu, a fast-spreading virus among poultry but rarely detected in humans, has been detected across multiple continents, leading authorities to order the culling of tens of millions of chickens and turkeys worldwide.

• DOH: No human case of avian influenza in Philippines so far

— With a report from Agence France-Presse

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