Writing America, (EFE).- The decision of Argentina and Uruguay to declare a health emergency after the discovery of the first cases of bird flu increased the alert level in Latin America this Wednesday due to the advance of this disease, which has reached affect humans in recent decades and has recently also been detected in some mammalian species.
The situation in Argentina and Uruguay is far from being isolated, as this Tuesday Guatemala declared a state of emergency after confirming the presence of the H5N1 virus in pelicans.
“The confirmation of the entry of the virus into the country puts us more on alert, but it does not surprise us,” admitted the Secretary of Agriculture of Argentina, Juan José Bahillo.
A similar comment was made by the Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries of Uruguay, Fernando Mattos, who acknowledged that the detection of the first case and the arrival of the disease “is not a surprise.”
The measure by the authorities of those South American countries was adopted just a few hours after Guatemala declared a state of emergency after confirming cases of bird flu in wild birds in the north of the country.
West Coast: the most affected in the United States
In the US, since January 2022 to date, a total of 6,192 cases of bird flu have been detected in wild birds in 50 states, although the majority are concentrated on the West Coast.
In addition, more than 58.3 million cases in domestic birds from 47 states have been registered in that same period, indicate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Last April, authorities in Colorado detected the presence of the H5 virus in a 40-year-old man who worked at a poultry plant.
The patient had a high fever for a few days as his only symptom and recovered.
Detection of this case in humans did not change the public health risk assessment of this disease.
In fact, the US authorities have barely taken action against this type of flu and the CDC is limited to recommending that direct contact with birds be avoided.
An infected girl in Ecuador
The disease, which on some occasions in recent decades has come to affect humans, with several fatal cases, continues to be rare in our species, “but we cannot assume that this is always the case and we must prepare for any change in the situation.” said the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
This disease was first detected in 1996, it has spread widely among birds, both free and in captivity, and the WHO continues to work with its partners to monitor the evolution of the virus, especially studying cases in other animals and humans. pointed out the highest health official of the United Nations.
This is what has happened in Ecuador, where the case of a 9-year-old girl from the Andean province of Bolívar who was infected by apparently having been in contact with a sick bird was reported.
In that country, the animal health emergency has been in force since last November. To date, about 1.2 million birds have died or been culled.
In the next two months, a vaccination is expected to begin that will reach two million birds from farms located in the affected provinces in its first phase, thanks to the acquisition of four million doses that will be provided by the Mexican-Ecuadorian business alliance formed by Macuna and Avimex
Meanwhile, in Nicaragua, the authorities decided on Tuesday to strengthen the epidemiological surveillance system for cases of bird flu detected in Central America in wild birds and today announced that between March 13 and 17 they will carry out a drill on the prevention of bird flu.
Flu in Cuban zoo
Alarms went off in Cuba last week when cases of avian influenza were detected at the National Zoo in Havana, which is why the enclosure was declared in quarantine.
Until now, Brazil has not registered any cases, but given the threat that it could arrive from neighboring countries where it has already been registered, the Ministry of Agriculture has been promoting the campaign “Avian Flu? Not here!” to strengthen prevention measures.
The Latin American giant, the world leader in chicken meat exports, with 35% of the market, is also promoting the maintenance of surveillance efforts and biosecurity measures on farms, in order to avoid direct and indirect contact between domestic and wild birds, especially aquatic migratory ones.
Alerts in Central America
In Costa Rica, the first outbreak of avian flu was detected on January 23 in pelicans in the province of Limón (Caribbean) and later identified other infections in wild birds in that same province and in a poultry farm in the town of Parrita, Puntarenas (Pacific).
For their part, the authorities of El Salvador said on Wednesday that they are on “continuous preventive alert” and on “permanent vigilance” against bird flu, although no cases have been registered so far.
And Panama has maintained a health alert since December 24, valid for 90 days, after confirming the first case of avian influenza. Since then, three cases have been recorded and more than 2,500 birds have been culled.
In Venezuela, the presence of bird flu was detected in pelicans also in December, for which reason the authorities declared a state of health alert in five coastal states “for a period of 90 days”, which expires at the end of this month.
In addition, the Health, Ecosocialism (Environment), Science and Technology and Agriculture portfolios have implemented, since the end of last year, a National Action Plan for the promotion and prevention of avian influenza, as well as care routes in positive or suspected cases. .
Since last January 14, a health emergency has been in force in Honduras for 90 days due to the death of pelicans in several coastal communities of the Caribbean. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, until February 1, 247 dead pelicans had been registered.
Ten thousand dead birds in Chile
For their part, the Chilean authorities have confirmed more than 10,000 dead birds presumably due to bird flu, cases that have been detected throughout the entire territory, with the exception of the Metropolitan regions -which is home to the capital- in the center, and La Araucanía and Los Ríos in the south.
A week ago, the first case was reported in a domestic specimen, detected in a chicken coop in the desert Atacama region, in the north of the country.
For its part, the first cases in Peru were detected at the end of November in pelicans. Days later the contagion passed to domestic poultry, which prompted the Ministry of Health to issue an epidemiological alert. Since then, at least 55,000 birds have died and now the focus is on the almost 600 sea lions and one dolphin who have died from this virus, which has already made the leap to mammals.
In Colombia, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, at the end of 2022 there were a few cases, already controlled, that occurred on farms where animals are raised for family consumption, but there is no record of cases in large-scale poultry farms, such as the industrialists.
The infected animals were slaughtered and there are currently no active cases of bird flu in the country, but the phytosanitary authorities are keeping a close watch.
Avian influenza mainly affects domestic birds and is classified into two subtypes based on two surface proteins and is considered highly fatal, according to the WHO.
The agency revealed on February 8 that outbreaks of bird flu in mammals such as minks, otters, foxes and sea lions have multiplied in recent weeks, a worrying phenomenon that, it warned, “must be monitored.”
