Amidst the bird flu outbreak that happened in Pampanga, the DOH is currently observing 2 persons with flu-like symptoms who might have been exposed to the bird flu virus that's afflicting numerous poultry farms in Pampanga.
They're isolated in a hospital, and under observation
The two people have been taken to a hospital and have been isolated in order to find out whether or not they have been infected by the strain of bird flu that's affecting chickens. One of them has a cough, and the other one has symptoms of fever.
The DOH made an earlier announcement saying that the strain of bird flu in Pampanga cannot be transferred through human to human contact, and that the virus does not spread through airborne transmission.
They're still waiting for the test results to come in, in order to identify whether or not the patients have been infected by a form of bird flu virus.
No need to panic, according to the DOH
Regardless, the DOH is closely monitoring people who have been working on the farms, as being exposed to infected chickens might cause a chicken-human transmission of the virus.
They're currently waiting for the results of tests conducted by the Department of Agriculture in order to identify what specific strain of bird flu caused the outbreak.
The DOH adds that there's no need to panic, since this isn't a public health issue, as it is an animal health problem. However, precautions still need to be taken, especially since viruses can mutate in unexpected ways. The regular flu vaccine also doesn't work against bird flu, since the bird flu virus is immune to the vaccine.
And as always, when preparing poultry, or any type of meat for that matter, it's important to cook it thoroughly in order to avoid eating any microorganisms that might be in the meat.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
READ: What parents need to know about the bird flu outbreak in Pampanga