The Palau Ministry of Health this week has further confirmed that all test results taken from the PMA Poultry Farm are negative for Avian Influenza also known as the bird flu.
On March 31, 2014, about 171 chickens fell ill and died in a matter of days from a still unknown cause. Since then about 350 chickens have reportedly died.
The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) were initially notified when officials suspected the bird flu as the cause.
But further confirmation from the Hawaii State Laboratories Division, CDC, and the WHO confirmed there’s no outbreak of the bird flu in Palau.
A team of officials representing various agencies in the Republic has been assessing the situation, and investigating the matter further.
In the meantime, the public is advised not to consume or use any products from the farm until the investigation concludes.
Officials are now suspecting contaminated water as a potential cause of death, however nothing has been confirmed yet.