Suspected bird-flu carrier alarms Sorsogon officials

SORSOGON CITY - The Provincial Veterinary Office has alerted local officials to be on the look-out for possible avian-flu infected birds that might land in their area, an official said Saturday. The alert was raised following the discovery of a heron, which had tags that indicated that it came from Japan. Dr. Enrique Espiritu, provincial veterinarian, said the bird was found by a farmer in the town of Preito-diaz that was being frequented by migratory birds for its vast mangrove forest. The town was included in the bird-flu watch list. Espiritu said herons, being wild, are normally difficult to capture. He said that the bird was very weak and exhibited symptoms of being ill when found by the farmer who turned it over to Mayor Benito Doma. Doma ordered the immediate disposal of the bird. Espiritu said Doma should have detached the tags from the bird before it was buried as it could have helped them determine the background of the animal. Alarmed by the incident, Gov. Raul Lee called for a meeting of all municipal mayors and health officials in the province on Tuesday to discuss proper monitoring activities to prevent entry of suspected bird-flu carriers. Lee said a bird-flu task force had already been created and that they would be immediately mobilized to prevent the entry of the killer flu. Meanwhile, a team from the World Health Organization is expected to visit Prieto-diaz to check on the report. - GMANews.TV