The Philippines has confirmed a new outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza affecting backyard poultry in its Oriental Mindoro province, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health, known as WOAH, which made the announcement on Friday.
The virus was identified in a small flock of 39 birds located in the town of Capalan. Philippine authorities reported the case to the Paris-based WOAH, which confirmed that all of the affected birds were destroyed as a precautionary measure to prevent the disease from spreading further.
The continued spread of avian influenza — widely known as bird flu — has put governments and the poultry industry on alert in recent years. The disease has devastated flocks across the globe, straining poultry supplies, pushing food prices higher, and heightening concerns about the potential for the virus to spread to humans.
