Zamboanga city: Mayor Khymer Olaso, through an executive order dated May 19, has banned the entry of poultry and livestock products from three towns of Zamboanga Sibugay province due to avian influenza or bird flu. In a statement on Wednesday, the City Government Public Information Office said Olaso issued the executive order after the Bureau of Animal Industry confirmed that three farms in Diplahan, Zamboanga Sibugay, were found to be infected with avian influenza.

According to Philippines News Agency, Olaso included in his executive order the banning of poultry and livestock products from Diplahan's nearby towns of Imelda and Buug due to proximity. The Office of the City Veterinarian, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, City Health Office (CHO), and City Legal Office, along with the police and military's Joint Task Force Zamboanga, will intensify checkpoint operations to implement the ban.

Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite, CHO chief, stated that avian influenza is a highly contagious viral disease caused by influenza A viruses that primarily affects wild and domestic birds. Miravite explained that while avian influenza is primarily an animal disease, strains like H5N1 can sporadically infect humans and other mammals through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments. H5N1 is a highly contagious and potentially severe subtype of the influenza A virus that causes bird flu.

Poultry and livestock farms in Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga del Norte are among the suppliers of chicken and swine to this city due to high profitability. Zamboanga City has an existing ban on the entry of poultry and livestock products based on earlier executive orders. The previously cited areas include Titay, Ipil, Naga, and RT Lim in Zamboanga Sibugay; Tampilisan and Calawit in Zamboanga del Norte; and Bonifacio in Misamis Occidental and Tangub City.