Agri officials flag IBH concerns among chickens as cases rise

Agriculture officials on Wednesday flagged the threat of the Inclusion Body Hepatitis (IBH) among chickens, noting the higher number of cases being reported by the private sector.

According to Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) officer-in-charge Reildren Morales, the IBH may impact poultry production in the country, given the higher numbers being reported.

“May threat ito kasi mataas rin ‘yung mortality rate. Of course lahat ng threat, that will affect ‘yung figures na iha-harvest natin tsaka ‘yung growth ng manok, it will have an impact on the supply,” he said at a briefing.

[This is a threat because of its high mortality rate. Of course all threats will affect harvest figures and the growth of the chickens, and will have an impact on the supply.]

Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the poultry subsector recorded a 12.3% growth in the first quarter, while chicken eggs grew by 12.4%.

Morales noted that while there has been a flare up in the number of cases, the IBH is unlike the avian influenza which requires birds to be culled given the availability of a vaccine.

“We already had this before, kaya lang [but] not at this level na nakikita natin ngayon [that we see now] so it’s a disease of farm concern,” he said.

Morales did not elaborate on the number of cases, adding that the private sector would have the best data on the matter, but noted that the IBH is not transmissible to humans.

In terms of the African swine fever (ASF), Morales said that while cases reached as high as 61 barangays, the number has been reduced to 36 as of June 23.

There have been 198 municipalities that have been classified as recovered, while over 400 municipalities have not reported facilities subject to surveillance. — RSJ, GMA News