DA lifts temporary ban on import of goats from US

The Department of Agriculture has lifted the temporary ban on the importation of live goats from the US.

Previously, a ban was imposed in June after Coxiella burnetti, the bacteria that causes Q fever, were detected in goats imported from the US. The Bureau of Animal Industry culled more than five dozen goats infected with Q fever to prevent the spread of the disease, which also affects sheep and cattle.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. issued Memorandum Order 43 on Oct. 8, recalling the ban on the importation of live goats from the US. This is after the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), through the World Organization Health Information System of WOAH, verified that there are no reported nor recorded cases of Q Fever in USA.

Aside from that, the DA chief said that BAI has already implemented stringent measures to prevent the spread of the infectious disease to both animals and humans. Q fever is zoonotic, which means infected animals can transmit the disease to humans.

Secretary Tiu Laurel said assurance by health officials that Q fever isn’t a major public health threat was also a factor in lifting the import ban on live goats. “The Department of Health has assured the public that animal-to-human transmission is rare and that the infection can be readily treated with antibiotics that are locally and widely available,” he added.

He also underscores adjustments made by BAI in pre-border measures to ensure transmission of the disease “is negligible.” ###