MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang assured on Saturday that the country is prepared to combat the bird flu virus, saying that it already has a system in place to ensure the public’s safety against any bird flu outbreak. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Department of Health (DoH) has already expressed its readiness to combat the spread of the virus.
Valte also said that airport authorities are also on guard against foreigners who may have signs of acquiring the virus while the agriculture sector is also prepared against any livestock that could affect local products.
She said that the public is not only being warned against bird flu but also other deadly viruses like the H1N1.
“So far, ang sabi nila, wala naman silang nakikita na mga namatay sa bird flu na chicken or duck or any sort of livestock at isa din ito sa mga binabantayan para hindi naman makapasok at makahawa sa mga produckto natin dito yung birdflu [So far, they said they have not seen any case of livestock that was affected by the bird flu virus. We are also on guard to ensure that the bird flu virus will not affect our local livestock],” Valte said.
The country is now on alert following the first reported death caused by bird flu this year in Hong Kong since its outbreak in 2003.
Madel Sabater, Manila Bulletin
