Brazil intensifies surveillance as bird flu looms
After two decades, highly pathogenic avian influenza - in which nearly all infected birds show symptoms of the disease - is now a real threat to Brazilian production. Nine countries in Central and South America have confirmed 75 outbreaks of the disease in recent months, and 1.2 million birds were slaughtered.A possible arrival of the virus in the country could affect Brazilian exports of chicken meat, which in 2022 reached a record 4.8 million tonnes, or $9.7 billion, favored in part by the impact of influenza in the northern hemisphere and the interruption of sales from countries affected by the disease.Last weekend, a case of avian influenza was reported in Cochabamba, Bolivia. This means that the bird flu has crossed the Andes, the South American mountain range that is considered a natural barrier. Until then, the disease had reached the southern half of the continent via migratory birds concentrated on the Pacific route."We fear that the avian flu will reach Brazil through birds migrating within the continent, to areas like the Pantanal and Bahia," said Fabiano Benitez, coordinator of the poultry health program of Rondônia’s sanitary defense agency Idaron. The state is the closest to Cochabamba.Carlos Goulart, secretary of agricultural defense at the Ministry of Agriculture, says that the risk of the virus reaching commercial farms is controlled by high biosecurity standards of Brazil’s poultry industry and the Official Veterinary System (SVO), which has more than 3,000 qualified professionals. "The period of highest risk lasts until May, due to the migratory flow of birds. Surveillance will be intensified," he said.The secretary explained that imported animal protein products do not represent a real risk of introducing the virus in Brazil, but maintains surveillance at border crossings, ports and airports. The main work to prevent the flu is to monitor the places where birds coming from the northern hemisphere land and breed. And it counts on the help of state and federal agencies, such as the federal environmental agency Ibama and the Chico Mendes Institute of Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio).There are five migratory routes (Atlantic, Northeast, Central Brazil, Central Amazon/Pantanal and Western Amazon) and 21 breeding sites recognized by the Department of Animal Health for active surveillance of avian influenza viruses, especially in humid regions and with large amounts of food, such as Pantanal (Mato Grosso do Sul), Taim...
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