ZAMBOANGA CITY (Darwin Wee / 03 Oct) - Different sectors from all over the Zamboanga Peninsula banded together to prevent the entry of thedeadly avian influenza virus in the southern region as the migration season ofbirds starts again, environment officials said Tuesday.
They said a new task force called “Task Force Wild Bird” was formed to help detect and respond to threats of the dreaded disease, according to Eduardo M. Bisquera, Jr., regional technical director of the Protected Areas, Wildlife and Coastal Zone Management Service, of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
They said a new task force called “Task Force Wild Bird” was formed to help detect and respond to threats of the dreaded disease, according to Eduardo M. Bisquera, Jr., regional technical director of the Protected Areas, Wildlife and Coastal Zone Management Service, of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
"The Task Force Wild Bird is an ad hoc group to assist the region'sNational Avian Influenza Task Force primarily to reinforce the monitoring of the government's anti-bird flu program, following the expected influx of migratory birds this year as the winter season takes in the northern and southern part of the world," he told the Mindanao Examiner.
He said the task force is composed of law enforcers, academe, environmental groups, non-government organizations, city andprovincial veterinarian and agriculture experts; medical and media practitioners in the region. It will operate as the DENR's "nerve center"which will keep a close watch on the region's more than 10 identified wetlands.
The group will also implement measures that will prevent local fowlsand even humans from venturing into the wetlands where migratory birds are frequently spotted. Zamboanga Peninsula is among the top 20 priority areas being monitoredby the National Avian Influenza Task Force, said Dr. Leo P. Galicia, the regional veterinarian chief of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
He said Zamboanga Peninsula is vulnerable to the H5N1 virus because of its geographical location being close to Malaysia and Indonesia which have been affected in the past with the avian influenza.
Presently, among countries in Asia, the Philippines remains free from thebird flu virus.
However, Mr. Bisquera said "this should not make uscomplacent."He said the Philippines is part of the so called migratory flyway where thousands of birds pass.
Most of the birds came from as far as Australia, China, Siberia, and Mongolia."Migratory birds are suspected to be carriers of H5N1, which hasalready infected millions of poultry in various parts of the globe,"Mr. Bisquera said.
The DA maintains a series of lectures about the bird flu virus to poultry producers in the region. The Veterinary Quarantine Office has also beefed up its monitoring of chicken products that pass every sea and air ports in the region. (Mindanao Examiner)
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