DA lifts temporary ban on the importation of live goats from the US

DAVAO CITY — The ban was initially imposed in June after Coxiella burnetii, the bacteria responsible for Q fever, was detected in imported goats. In response, the Bureau of Animal Industry culled over sixty infected goats to prevent the spread of this disease, which can also affect sheep and cattle.

On October 8, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. issued Memorandum Order 43, rescinding the ban after the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) confirmed through its Health Information System that there are no reported cases of Q fever in the U.S.

Secretary Tiu Laurel noted that the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) has implemented stringent measures to prevent the transmission of this infectious disease to both animals and humans. Q fever is zoonotic, meaning it can be transmitted from infected animals to humans.

He also highlighted that assurances from health officials regarding Q fever not being a significant public health threat played a role in the decision to lift the import ban.

“The Department of Health has assured the public that animal-to-human transmission is rare and that the infection can be effectively treated with readily available antibiotics,” he stated.

Furthermore, Secretary Tiu Laurel emphasized the adjustments made by the BAI in pre-border measures to ensure that the risk of disease transmission remains “negligible.”