MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil reports first case of avian flu in farm bird

Brazilian authorities insisted commercial production of chickens remains safe

Brazilian authorities Tuesday confirmed the detection of the first case of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI - H5N1) in a poultry bird in the municipality of Serra, in the State of Espírito Santo, but insisted commercial production remains safe. The South American country is the world's largest chicken exporter, with US$ 9.762 billion collected in 2022.

Depending on the epidemiological scenario, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Defense (IDAF) of Espírito Santo may adopt new measures to prevent the spread of the virus and protect the national poultry industry, it was explained.

The farm where the last detection took place was reported to keep ducks and in addition to chickens.

The latest case adds to 52 other outbreaks detected in wild birds in the States of Espírito Santo, Bahia, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and São Paulo, the Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement. The new outbreak does not cause restrictions on international trade of Brazilian poultry products, whose consumption and export “remain safe,” the document read.

Measures have been taken to contain and eradicate the new outbreak of avian influenza, while surveillance actions have been intensified in domestic birds in the region, it was reported. Brazil decreed a state of animal health emergency on May 23, which allows the adoption of stricter surveillance measures on farms, the imposition of controls on the access of people to areas with foci of infection, as well as the obligation to notify all suspected cases, such as those of birds with respiratory or neurological signs or with high and sudden mortality.

The avian flu outbreak that began last year has spread throughout most of Latin America.