by VG Villanueva

Aklan (26 March) -- Children will be the most vulnerable victims if bird flu or Avian flu enters the Philippines.

This is because based on records, half of the worldwide number of human cases felled by bird flu involved chidren, and one third of the number reported dead due to the disease were children, according to UNICEF.

Children, according to Nilo Yacat, Senior Programme Monitoring Assistant of UNICEF are most vulnerable to bird flu as their bodies have low immunity to viruses.

Yacat shared this information as one of the resource speakers of the seminar workshop on “Stay Bird Flu Free Philippines” for PIA Information Officers held March 19-21 at the Richville Hotel, Mandaluyong City.

The seminar-workshop was sponsored by UNICEF and the government of Japan - UNICEF because of its mandate/concern for children worldwide, and Japan, as the Philippines is its source of imported chicken and in support to emergency response against bird flu or avian influenza.

With competent resource speakers coming from the Bureau of Animal Industry, DA; Department of Health, and UNICEF, the seminar-workshop aimed to drive down the point that as of now, the Philippines is still bird-flu free, bird flu is very dangerous but preventable, the economy will suffer much once bird flu enters the country, and the PIA information officers have a critical role in creating awareness about bird flu for better understanding by the common folks as well as the risks and danger to health, lives and the country’s economy.

“If the country is stricken with bird flu, there will be severe financial lossess and the country’s poultry industry will suffer,” said Dr. Rosemarie Antegro of the Bureau of Animal Industry, DA, one of the seminar-workshop’s resource speakers.

As of February 2007, Antegro said there are 273 human cases caused by bird flu and 167 recorded deaths already. Fifty-two countries are now affected and millions were lost due to destroyed poultry and poultry products.

An article from Bird Flu Updates published by the Bureau of Animal Industry revealed that of the 20 identified priority areas or hotspots which are regularly being monitored and under surveillance, two are in Western Visayas: Himamaylan in Negros Occidental and Roxas City in Capiz. The priority areas were identified based on the presence of transient migratory birds as well as the presence of highly concentrated domestic duck/chicken population in the area.

Currently, only the Philippines, Brunei and Singapore remain untainted by bird flu, and for a “Bird flu Free Philippines”, workshops understaken by PIA information officers in the activity included devising strategies in pushing and heightening bird flu or Avian Influenza prevention awareness even if the Philippines is bird flu-free through story ideas and suggestions to enhance campaign against bird flu; and action planning.