Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. has officially declared the Province of Bulacan as free from highly pathogenic avian influenza, following effective containment of a confirmed outbreak in December 2024.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) made the declaration after extensive disease surveillance yielded negative results for the virus in and around the affected area. The outbreak of the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus, which hit a commercial duck farm in the municipality of Pandi, was confirmed via RT-PCR testing.
The provincial government of Bulacan, in coordination with the local government unit of Pandi, the DA Regional Field Office III (DARFO III), and the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), swiftly activated disease control protocols under the Avian Influenza Protection Program (AIPP). These included immediate depopulation, cleaning and disinfection of affected premises, imposition of movement restrictions, and intensive monitoring within the 1-kilometer and 7-kilometer surveillance zones.
Subsequent surveillance showed no further presence of the influenza type A virus, meeting the criteria of the World Organization for Animal Health’s (WOAH) Terrestrial Animal Health Code. This allows regions to regain AI-free status 28 days after the last infected site is disinfected and follow-up testing confirms the absence of infection.
The swift action by government agencies were in line with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to quickly resolve animal diseases to ensure price and supply stability, and enhance farmers incomes.
Bulacan previously reported HPAI H5N1 cases in 2022 and 2023 but successfully regained disease-free status each time through rapid response and biosecurity enforcement.
The DA said any future confirmed incursions will immediately trigger a revocation of this declaration and reimposition of containment measures. Tiu Laurel lauded the collaborative efforts of national and local agencies, citing the declaration as a milestone in safeguarding animal health and ensuring poultry industry resilience.
