Manila: The entry of imported domestic and wild birds, as well as their by-products from the US states of Maryland and Missouri, are temporarily banned to prevent the spread of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday. The banned poultry products include meat, eggs, day-old chicks, and semen from these areas.

According to Philippines News Agency, ‘The quick escalation of bird flu cases in the US since its first detection demands a more extensive coverage of trade restrictions to prevent the entry of the virus,’ DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement. Tiu Laurel earlier mentioned that approximately 145 million chickens have been culled in the US due to HPAI.

At least 13.2 million birds were reported affected in confirmed infected premises in Maryland and Missouri, following the outbreak reported on January 23, with 89 flocks testing positive for bird flu, according to the Deputy Administrator and Chief Veterinary Officer of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The first case in Maryland was detected on January 14.

Tiu Laurel stated that the broader restriction, under Memorandum Order No. 7, is necessary to protect the country’s local poultry population. The order also suspends the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for poultry products from these two US states.

The entry of shipments that are already in transit or accepted at the port will be allowed if ‘they were slaughtered or produced at least 14 days before the first reported outbreak.’ Earlier, the DA imposed an import ban in South Dakota, United States, following an outbreak of a similar strain, as well as in East Otago, Waitaki, and Canterbury in New Zealand due to the outbreak of AI H7N6 strain among domestic birds.

As of February 7, the Bureau of Animal Industry has reported no cases of highly pathogenic AI in the country.