The Philippines suffered its first case of bird flu after ducks were found to be infected in a town north of Manila, local TV quoted Health Secretary Francisco Duque as saying on Friday.

Duque said bird flu was detected at a duck farm in the town of Calumepit, in Bulacang province north of Manila.

"There's no cause for alarm, even the ducks are not sick." Duque said in a television interview. "We're still investigating the case."

Meanwhile Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said, "I can assure you there's no indication it's the H5N1." Arthur Yap resigned last week to face charges of tax evasion but has stayed on until his successor is in place.

Samples have been sent to Australia to determine whether the detected strain of avian influenza (bird flu) was the same as that which has killed dozens of people elsewhere in Asia, Duque said.

A quarantine zone has been set up around the town of Calumpit, in order to halt the trading and sale of poultry for a week, Duque said.

The H5N1 strain of the avian influenza virus has killed 54 people of 154 infected in Asia so far. More than 140 million chickens have been killed in the region to halt bird flu, causing millions of dollars of losses.

In an international bird flu meeting this week, changes of some practices in the production and marketing of poultry were suggested to reduced the risk of the H5N1 avian influenza virus spreading.

Experts suggested at the meeting that farmers should be enlightened on the dangers of high risk behaviors and on how to change their practices. They also called for vaccination of poultry flocks as part of a multi-element response to the bird flu threat in high risk areas.

Source: Xinhua