Capitol official pushes avian influenza as “disaster”
Concern rather than a health problem
By ED SESTOSO
A top official of the provincial government is pushing that the dreaded avian influenza (AI) be classified as a disaster concern and not merely a health problem.
Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Antonio Mutia, said that while the bird flu virus is a disease affecting fowls, mostly birds but also including ducks and chickens, its serious implications on human health could lead to disaster.
The Technical Working Group (TWG) tasked to draft the provincial anti-avian influenza contingency plan is seeking that the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) take the lead in its implementation, said Mutia.
He noted the TWG is in final stages of preparing the plan for submission to the PDCC in another two to three weeks.
The PDCC will then review the plan before it gets forwarded to the Provincial Board for approval through a resolution.
Last month, the Department of Health, the Civil Defense Office and the Provincial Veterinary Office conducted a seminar/workshop on avian influenza in preparation for a master contingency plan.
The plan includes, among other things, aggressive monitoring and surveillance of areas that are high-risk to bird flu outbreak, such as those frequently visited by migratory birds.
A rapid action team (RAT), properly trained to act as first line responders, is also being proposed, in the event of a reported occurrence of bird flu contamination in any part of the province, Mutia said.
Forceful border control and quarantine measures are also being recommended at ports and other entry points in the province to prevent the smuggling in of exotic birds that could be carriers of the bird flu virus, he added.
Meanwhile, Mutia allayed public speculation here that the recently reported bird-flu outbreak in Korea might spread to the Philippines .
He said Korea is too far away as opposed to Indonesia, where many notorious individuals are said to be coming to the Philippines via the “backdoor”.
The veterinarian stressed the need to instead strengthen measures in monitoring migratory flocks that could carry the virus beyond its origin-country’s borders.
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Wed May 14, 2008 12:00 am