If you live somewhere in the Western world, then chances are you’re already entirely all too familiar with the dreaded avian flu and the craze surrounding its outbreaks. However, there are many countries in the world that have never faced this issue, and the Philippines used to be one of them. However, the country is currently in the midst of fighting its first ever avian flu epidemic, and 200,000 will be culled and buried in the process.
In San Luis
The avian flu epidemic in the Philippines started somewhere around the general area of the municipality of San Luis, Pampanga province. This is just north of Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. The virus was initially detected on a small farm, and then it spread like wild a fire to a total of five other neighboring farms. According to Emmanuel Pinol, the Secretary of Agriculture in the Philippines, the quarantine has been set for 0.6 miles around the epicenter, which is in San Luis.
Among the 200,000 birds that need to be culled and buried in order to contain the dreaded disease and stop its spreading, there are ducks, quails and other types of poultry that is usually grown in the Philippines. Initial tests conducted on the virus spreading across San Luis and all neighboring areas confirmed that it’s not the pathogenic H5N1 strain, so there’s some good news at least. No humans seem to have been infected either, but medical authorities are keeping a close eye on everyone who came into contact with the infected birds.
Nobody knows where the infection originated, but authorities suspect that the main cause is either migratory birds that came from China carrying it, or even the illegal duck trade that is going on between China and the Philippines. The virus sample is currently in Australia for further testing.
