The government has confirmed a case of bird flu in Argentina and declared a health emergency

The Secretary for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Nation, Juan Jose Bahillo confirmed a case of avian influenza (H5N1) in Jujuy and declared a health emergency in the country. As noted, the case was confirmed by the Health and Food Quality Service (Senasa) in a wild migratory bird, called biguá, which was found in this province.

The confirmation was made during a press conference held with the authorities of the National Ministry of Health and Senasa, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, which also issued a series of preventive measures against bird flu in wild birds registered in the region.

“Confirmation of the entry of the virus into the country puts us on alert but it does not surprise us. For some time we have been working on the prevention of this virus, which unfortunately cannot be controlled due to the migration of birds. “, explained sources from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Nation, who indicated that it had been detected in the lagoon of Pozuelos, al northwest of the province of Jujuy, near the border with Bolivia.

“We have migration routes from the north of our continent. It had already been confirmed in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Uruguay. This sample sent on Monday and which tested positive yesterday is the third to arrive. The other two were negative. The virus does not enter the body through the consumption of birds. Only careless handling of birds can infect humans,” he said.

And he added: “We will strengthen national border controls. It is important to communicate to citizens that when faced with the detection of strange behavior of wild birds or their death, it is important to communicate with Senasa”.

Meanwhile, Sandra Tirado, health access secretary, explained, “We have been working together for months to monitor birds arriving in the country. It should be communicated that the likelihood of transmission to humans is low and if it occurs it is through the respiratory route or through contact with a dead bird or its secretions. That is why we recommend not to touch or approach birds that show symptoms or act strangely or that are dead.” “And it should be clarified that the consumption of its meat or its derivatives such as eggs does not cause no infections in humans. Hygiene measures such as hand washing or proper cooking should also be remembered for handling and consuming food,” he added.

Bird flu or bird flu (also known as chicken flu) is a disease caused by certain types of viruses that normally infect wild birds and poultry, such as chickens. In 2022, outbreaks in birds were reported mainly in the European and American Regions.

Waterfowl and shorebirds are considered natural reservoirs of these viruses and generally do not fall ill, although this seems to be changing since deaths from these species have been detected linked to the presence of the H5N1 virus, which is the highly pathogenic variant of the avian influenza virus. Avian flu mainly affects birds, but can be transmitted to poultry workers or to others who come into contact with infected birds or contaminated surfaces.

Argentina has not confirmed so far cases of bird flu in animals or people, but there are outbreaks of infection in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela and recently it has been detected in Bolivia and Uruguay. Given the risk of the virus being introduced, Senasa last year declared a state of “preventive health alert” across the country.

The measure was taken to prevent the entry of highly pathogenic avian influenza into the country, as stated in Senasa resolution 803/2022. In this context, the organization arranged to strengthen its preventive actions in the jurisdictions of its regional centers NOA Norte, which includes the provinces of Salta and Jujuy, as well as Chaco-Formosa.

Senasa clarified that, given the cases of AI (bird flu) recorded in North America and due to the migratory route of wild birds towards the south, he ordered the health alert in december 2022, per Resolution 803 and maintains surveillance actions to prevent AI entry into the Argentina, which is recognized as a free country and, in the event of a potential detection, act quickly with mitigation measures that prevent its dispersal in the country. Links and collaboration with National Parks and the Wildlife Department for the permanent monitoring of wild birds have also been strengthened.

The Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries of Uruguay confirmed this Wednesday the first case of bird flu in this country in a wild bird found in the department of Rocha.

Specifically, the disease was detected in a black-necked swan. The detection in Uruguay occurs because the disease was already present in the countries of the region and the migratory birds carrying the virus then spread to various territories. In this sense, the sources have placed special emphasis on the fact that the disease, so far, has not been confirmed in breeding or production birds, but specifically in the black-necked swan. Therefore, the consumption of products of poultry origin “represents no problem”.

Bolivia reported two outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza in late January, the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) reported. An outbreak was discovered in a laying hen farm with 35,000 aves and the other in a barnyard with 202 birds for domestic consumption, including ducks, geese and chickens. The National Agricultural Health and Food Security Service (Senasag) of this country immediately declared a health emergency in the department of Cochabamba after detecting high mortality in egg-laying birds and backyard birds.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when birds are infected, poultry producers and their employees, poultry processing plant technicians, housekeeping staff and egg production establishments poultry, and workers responsible for epidemic control and eradication are at higher risk of contracting the virus.

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