Two poultry workers in Pampanga test negative for bird flu

They confirmed that 14 workers have been tested and two unnamed workers aged 18 and 28 were isolated. (ShutterStock)

Two poultry workers in the province of San Luis, Pampanga underwent laboratory testing and test negative for bird flu virus, released by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine on Wednesday morning. The two so-called “suspect-cases” were monitored by the Department of Health (DOH) for showing symptoms of Avian virus.

They confirmed that 14 workers have been tested and the two unnamed workers aged 18 and 28 were isolated.

“So very mild symptoms lang po at sila po ay kinunan ng sample and as of yesterday evening, tinawag sa akin ng RITM, negative po sila, (The symptoms were mild and as of yesterday evening, the RITM called us, the result was negative)” Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial confirmed in an interview on radio dzBB.

The spokesperson of Department of Health Eric Tayag earlier advised the public to stay calm since the department is doing their best to prevent the spread of the bird flu virus.

“Right now, it’s an animal health problem because the bird flu virus infected animals – the chicken – and that is a cause for alarm.

But in public health, not yet because first, we still have no (human) case and there is difficulty in transmission and only those in the farm can be infected. We who eat chicken can hardly get infected,” Tayag said in a press conference.

Tayag added that the workers had shown obvious symptoms such as cough and fever.

The public was alarmed thereafter the revelation of bird flu outbreak in a poultry farm in Barangay San Agustin, San Luis, Pampanga.

A joint investigation of the Department of Agriculture and the disease experts of Department of Health are now being conducted. Twenty workers have been interviewed by disease experts for observation.

The Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol assured the public on Saturday in an interview with the ABS-CBN News channel that the virus discovered is not transmittable to human beings, anyhow this has to be confirmed by the Australian laboratory experts.

The secretary also confirmed that around 200,000 fowls have been affected. The health department said,the Philippines is prepared and the government hospitals are provided with “personal protective equipment”.