MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay to assess avian flu outbreak for possible additional precautions

Some other measures will be reported on Monday, Carámbula announced

Uruguayan authorities will be convening Monday to decide which steps to take in the face of an avian flu outbreak in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul. Montevideo has already issued an alert, urging producers to strengthen biosecurity measures.

Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries Undersecretary Matías Carámbula announced that sanitary restrictions were being implemented, including vaccinations, farm entry controls, and border measures, with a potential suspension of poultry imports from Brazil. The Agriculture Ministry will meet with poultry unions to discuss further actions.

While poultry consumption poses no human health risk, direct contact with infected birds can spread the virus, potentially causing significant economic losses.

“There are sanitary restrictions: vaccination, which was in force, control perimeter restrictions, control of entry to farms for production of both meat and eggs, important measures around the border, and some other measures that will be reported on Monday,” Carámbula explained. If necessary, poultry imports will be suspended, he added.

In his view, Uruguay's poultry sector “is working well, that generates a lot of work, a lot of development, and we have to take care of it.”

Uruguayan producers were also urged to comply with sanitary requirements and to remain vigilant after the disease was detected in a commercial farm in the border state of Rio Grande do Sul.

The main clinical signs in infected birds include sudden death, respiratory problems, neurological signs, reduced laying or deformed eggs, as well as hemorrhages and loss of appetite.