DA warns public vs. bird flu vaccines sold online

MANILA: The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday warned the public against avian influenza (AI) or bird flu vaccines being sold online. "Again, hindi natin nire-recommend iyan at iyan ay bawal doon, kukuha lang ng bakuna doon sa mga reputable na institutions o source ng vaccines (we're not recommending that and that's prohibited, only get vaccines from reputable institutions or source of vaccines)," Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said in an interview. The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) earlier issued a similar warning against avian influenza vaccines now accessible on various online shopping platforms. In an online platform, 100ml and 200ml of AI H5N1 vaccine doses were sold at PHP423 to PHP790. De Mesa said there may be risks when using such unregulated products considering that bird flu is highly pathogenic. 'Kahit anong gamot na hindi dumaan sa proseso, inirekomenda ng FDA [Food and Drug Administration] o ng BAI o hindi dumaan sa kung ano man na regulation, bawal iyan (Any drug whi ch did not undergo the process, nor recommended by the FDA or BAI or did not undergo any regulation, it's prohibited)," he said, citing the probability of AI transmission to humans. "Kung hindi tama iyong bakuna (If the vaccine is not right), it could be a poison both to the human and the animals," de Mesa said. The DA said it is now coordinating with the FDA to act on the matter. Source: Philippines News agency