Second case of avian influenza detected in a farm animal in Brazil

On Saturday, July 15, the State Secretariat of Agriculture and the Integrated Agricultural Development Company of Santa Catarina (Cidasc) verified the second instance of bird flu in a farm animal in Brazil.

The first case was detected in the municipality of Serra, in Espírito Santo.

The recent case was confirmed in Maracajá, Santa Catarina, with specific details yet to be disclosed.

The Federal Agricultural Defense Laboratory of São Paulo, an international reference in bird disease diagnosis recognized by the World Organization for Animal Health (WHO), validated the diagnosis.

This comes after Santa Catarina registered the initial case of avian influenza in wild birds on June 27.

Brazil has identified 64 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 (HPAI) outbreaks in various states.

However, there are no recorded instances of the disease in commercial production.

Santa Catarina officials state that these occurrences in subsistence poultry do not impact the region’s sanitary conditions, which retain its free status from HPAI in commercial production.

As a result, poultry exports are expected to remain unaffected.

The government is enforcing strict sanitary measures to control and eradicate the disease, coupled with increased surveillance of poultry populations in the area.