A duck farm north of Manila has reported the first verified case of the bird flu in the Philippines. Local officials said they do not believe this particular strain of bird flu is deadly to humans.
Since it's last outbreak began in 2003, at least 54 people in Southeast Asia have died from the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu. Most of the deaths occurred in Vietnam. Tens of millions of birds had to be destroyed when they were discovered to be infected with the deadly virus.
However, according to Philippine Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, there is no indication that the infected birds found in the Philippines had the H5N1 strain of the virus.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque told the Associated Press that the disease was so mild that even the infected ducks did not even appear ill. Samples from the infected ducks will be sent to Australia for further analysis.
Until now, the Philippines had been the only nation in Asia with a major poultry industry that had not been affected by the bird flu. The poultry industry in the Philippines is worth approximately $2.72 billion and employs roughly 300,000 people.
If the H5N1 strain of the bird flu reaches the Philippines, the results could be deadly. The spread of the disease may be assisted by migrating wild birds. China discovered migrating geese who were infected by the disease earlier this week. The World Health Organization has warned that if the H5N1 strain of the bird flu evolves so it can be transmitted directly between humans, a worldwide pandemic could follow and more than 40 million people could die.
