SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA: Antique's Provincial Veterinary (ProVet) collected 180 blood samples of chicken, waterfowl, and livestock for testing on avian influenza or bird flu. ProVet chief of Public Health Division, Dr. Marco Rafael Ardamil, said in an interview Thursday that together with personnel of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Municipal Agriculture Office, they collected blood samples in the municipality of Sibalom from Aug. 13 to 15. The samples will be subjected to testing at the DA Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. They hoped to receive the result in the next two to three days. 'We collected blood samples among the chicken, waterfowl, and livestock to know if they had been affected by avian influenza since this is now the season when migratory birds from the northern hemisphere are spotted here,' Ardamil said. He said avian influenza is a viral infection usually transmitted by birds to humans, particularly those working on farms. It can cause severe respiratory symptoms am ong humans, such as fever, fatigue, and cough. He noted that birds like the cattle egret, considered avian influenza carriers, are seen feeding on palay farms in Sibalom, considered the rice granary of Antique. 'The migratory birds usually leave the northern hemisphere before the winter season because of the cold and to look for food,' Ardamil said. He said in the past three years, Antique has been free of avian influenza but is still considered a high-risk area because of its proximity to the province of Capiz, which had a reported case in 2022. Source: Philippines News Agency