DOH: No human case of avian influenza in Philippines so far | ABS-CBN

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

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

Davinci Maru,

ABS-CBN News

 | 

Updated Jan 13, 2023 03:49 PM PHT

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Ducks are seen at a poultry farm in San Luis, Pampanga on Aug. 15, 2017. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File
Ducks are seen at a poultry farm in San Luis, Pampanga on Aug. 15, 2017. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — The Philippines has not yet recorded a case of a human being infected with avian influenza, the Department of Health said on Friday, after the disease was detected in several countries.

According to Dr. Alethea De Guzman, director of DOH's epidemiology bureau, the country is currently at Stage 2 of the 4-tier preparedness and response plan, which means the bird flu is currently detected in domestic fowls.

"Wala pa tayong ni isang (we don't have any) confirmed human avian influenza case and we want to be able to retain that status," she said in a virtual town hall forum.

Avian influenza is a viral disease that affects wild and domestic birds. Its most severe strains are called highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as high path, and includes H5N1 virus.

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This strain is known to be lethal to poultry and is potentially fatal in humans, the DOH said.

Human cases have occurred in people who had close contact with sick birds and contaminated materials, the agency added.

Latest data from the World Health Organization showed that there were 868 human cases with avian influenza A(H5N1) reported in 21 countries.

Of the figure, some 455 patients died, bringing the case fatality rate to 53 percent.

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.

While the H5N1 virus is currently not a pandemic, De Guzman warned the virus could change into a new, dangerous form, which is easily spread from person-to-person and could become a pandemic disease.

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.

— With a report from Agence France-Presse

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