MikeLigalig.com

ILOILO CITY -- The city government here is set to reconstitute its avian influenza task force amid the avian influenza (AI) or the bird flu outbreak in Pampanga.

City veterinarian, Dr. Tomas Forteza, said that the city’s AI task force was created wayback in 1997, thus  there would be a need to update the membership as some members have already retired.   

An executive order has to be signed by Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog for the reactivation.

The task force will be chaired by the mayor with the city veterinarian as co-chair.  The members include the city health office, city agriculture office, city treasurer, city environment and natural resources office, Philippine National Police, Department of Education, Department of Interior and Local Government, representative from the private sector and the media.

“This is just for the preparedness, everything is under control; no need to worry,” he said.

While they are yet preparing for the reactivation, Forteza said that the committee on animal health protection, which he heads, was activated. Under his committee are four teams namely surveillance, rapid action team, quarantine, census.

The surveillance team will undergo training next week. “Hopefully they could already collect samples from critical areas,” he expressed.

Iloilo City and Western Visayas as a whole is vulnerable because the region’s monthly egg consumption of around three million mostly come from Luzon such as in Batangas, Bulacan and Pampanga, he said. If products coming from them are contaminated, then they can enter the region.

However, the animal quarantine office of the Department of Agriculture has implemented a border control monitoring, he added

Memorandum circular 9 issued by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) prohibits the local trans-shipment of live domestic and wild birds, including poultry meat, day old chicks, semen and manure from Visayas to Mindanao and  vice-versa via Luzon, he assured.

Meanwhile, Donna Magno, head of the city disaster risk reduction and management office (CDRRMO) said that they can assist Forteza’s office by allotting portion of their quick response fund for  the printing of information and education (IEC) materials.  (PNA)



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