Bird flu cases in Brazil rise to 30 with confirmation of five new instances

The Ministry of Agriculture reported five new instances of the H5N1 bird flu strain in wild birds across Brazil on Thursday, June 8, 2023.

This brings the total of confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) cases to 30. Each case represents a distinct epidemiological unit of the disease.

According to the ministry’s dashboard, seven more instances are under investigation, pending laboratory results.

On May 22, 2023, the government declared a nationwide animal health emergency for 180 days following the initial detection of the virus within Brazil.

This action was sanctioned by the Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Favaro.

Since the disease was first reported in the country on May 15, a total of 1,269 suspected instances of the Respiratory and Nervous Bird Syndrome have been investigated.

This syndrome targets diseases such as Avian Influenza H5N1 and Newcastle Disease. As of this Thursday (June 8th), 237 of these suspected instances have been classified as probable cases and forwarded for laboratory analysis.

The Brazilian states with confirmed HPAI instances are Bahia, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, and Espírito Santo.

The latter bears the brunt, with 20 out of the 30 confirmed cases accounting for 66.6% of the country’s total.

Bird flu spreads through contact with infected or dead birds.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock encourages the public to refrain from handling sick or deceased birds and instead alert their nearest veterinary service to curb the spread of the disease.

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