Sunday, May 06, 2007

Philippines Bans U.S. Poultry After Bird Flu Virus Found In West Virginia Fowl

May 6, 2007 11:28 a.m. EST

Komfie Manalo - AHN Correspondent

Manila, Philippines (AHN) - Philippine Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the Philippine government is imposing a ban on poultry importations from West Virginia in the U.S. after authorities there confirmed of an outbreak of the deadly H5N2 bird flu virus in a turkey farm.

Yap said the ban on imports include domestic and wild birds and their products, as well as day-old chicks and eggs from West Virginia. He said the ban is aimed at preventing the entry of avian influenza into the country.

The Philippines and Singapore are the only Asian countries that remain free of the deadly virus.

H5N2 virus is considered milder that the H5N1 bird flu virus, which has killed at least 172 out of 291 people known to have been infected since it began ravaging Asian poultry stocks in 2003, according to the World Health Organization.

The Philippines is one of the major importers of poultry from the United States. The countries of Cuba, Japan, Russia and Taiwan have already imposed similar bans on poultry or poultry products from West Virginia.

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