Brazil declares animal health emergency over avian flu

The surging cases of avian flu in Brazil has led to the declaration of six months animal health emergency. About 8 cases of H5N1 virus has been confirmed in wild birds in Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo States triggering the declaration.

The state of emergency is to enable the government to apply appropriate measures to stop the virus from spreading.

Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of chicken meat, with about US$ 10 billion in sales per year. Based on the World Health Organization protocols, H5N1 infections in wild birds rarely causes trade ban. However, infected farms usually result in the culling of the entire flock.

According to the Brazilian authorities, the cases are far away from Brazil’s main production areas which are in the south of the country.

The animal health emergency declaration is to be observed for the next 6 months. This is a cautionary measure to prevent the virus spread.

The world is currently experiencing the worst avian flu outbreak with millions of birds culled. According to Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports, as at 17^th May 2023, 6,807 cases (wild birds), 58,789,361 (poultry), and one case in humans have been confirmed. The figure stands higher when global cases of H5N1 are taken into consideration.