MANILA: The Philippines has deployed more troops to cull thousands of chickens one day after the farm ministry confirmed the spread of bird flu into a second province north of the capital, Manila.
More than 100 soldiers were sent on Saturday to the towns of Jaen and San Isidro in Nueva Ecija province after two cases of avian flu were detected in quails, army spokesman Lt. Col. Isagani Nato said in a statement.
The new bird flu cases were about 50 km (30 miles) from the initial outbreak in a swampy area of Pampanga that is a sanctuary for migratory birds from China.
Authorities have not determined the cause of the bird flu outbreak, nor the exact strain, on which tests are being done in Australia.
There has been no case of human transmission in either outbreak, and early tests have ruled out highly pathogenic H5N1 strain.
Nato said the deployment in Nueva Ecija followed a request from the Bureau of Animal Industry in the Department of Agriculture for assistance “after confirming a new incident of bird flu outbreak.”
He said troops were now undergoing training on how to do their jobs.
The 300 soldiers sent to Pampanga on Thursday culled nearly 30,000 chicken from a farm within a one kilometer radius of the first bird flu outbreak.
The farm ministry said about 600,000 chickens on about 36 farms in Pampanga will be culled. It did not say how many will be culled in the second province.
Philippines deploys troops to a 2nd province to fight bird flu
Philippines deploys troops to a 2nd province to fight bird flu
North Korea’s Kim: party congress to unveil plans for nuclear-war deterrent, KCNA says
- North Korea has defied a United Nations ban against it on ballistic missile development
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the upcoming congress of the ruling Workers’ Party will unveil next-stage plans for further strengthening the country’s nuclear war deterrent, KCNA state news agency reported on Wednesday.
Kim directed a successful test of a large-caliber multiple-rocket launch system on Tuesday, KCNA said. The drill demonstrated significant upgrades to the weapon’s strike power, mobility and accuracy, it quoted him as saying.
It is an important policy of the ruling Workers’ Party to build a reliable offensive capability and deterrence strategy to thwart an enemy attempt to spark an armed conflict, he said.
“This test will be a source of excruciating mental agony and serious threat to the forces that attempt to provoke a military confrontation with us,” Kim said.
South Korea and Japan on Tuesday condemned the launch of possible short-range ballistic missiles by the North toward the sea off its east coast. North Korea has defied a United Nations ban against it on ballistic missile development.
Kim did not elaborate on his comment about the upcoming congress of the ruling party, which is expected to take place some time in the next several weeks. The country has not announced the dates.
