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Brazil, the world's largest chicken exporter, has declared a 180-day veterinary emergency to prevent bird flu after the country detected its first cases of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus in wild birds, Reuters reported.
Far away
The decision took effect immediately after Brazilian Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Carlos Favaro signed it on May 22. Brazil has identified five cases of H5N1 infection in wild birds, including four in Espirito Santo state and one in Rio de Janeiro state.
Although Brazil’s main poultry-producing states are in the south, the government has been cautious in declaring a state of emergency amid the spread of avian influenza from wild birds to commercial poultry flocks in several countries. Three of the four cases in Espirito Santo were reported in coastal cities in the state, suggesting a growing risk of H5N1 infection in the country.
Over the weekend, the Brazilian Ministry of Health confirmed that samples from 33 suspected human cases of bird flu in Espirito Santo were negative for the H5N1 virus. Authorities are currently taking samples from two other suspected cases.
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Vaccination focuses on free-range poultry, mainly ducks. |
Brazil has not triggered a ban on poultry trade in response to H5N1 infections in wild birds, following guidance from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). However, when a farm is found to have a case of avian influenza, the entire flock is typically culled and countries may be prompted to restrict poultry imports.
Shares of Brazil-based BRF SA, the world's largest chicken exporter, rose 3.6% before the announcement of the veterinary emergency. They have since fallen 0.5%. Brazil is the world's largest chicken exporter, with sales of $9.7 billion last year.
Indecisive
The Covid-19 crisis has made every country realise that the pandemic hypothesis is real, said WOAH Director General Monique Eloit. With most countries with international trade having reported cases of avian influenza, she said it was time to discuss vaccination against the disease in poultry, in addition to systematic culling, which remains the main tool for disease control.
According to the Director General of WOAH, vaccination should focus on free-range poultry, mainly ducks, because avian influenza is spread by infected migratory wild birds. Meanwhile, vaccination of chickens, which account for about 60% of the world's poultry production, has not been very effective. The severity of the current avian influenza outbreak and the economic and personal damage it has caused have prompted governments to reconsider poultry vaccination.
However, some countries such as the United States are still hesitant, mainly because of the trade restrictions that come with it. A WOAH survey found that only 25% of the organization’s member countries would accept the import of poultry products vaccinated against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
Last year, the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) agreed to launch a bird flu vaccination strategy. France, which has spent around $1.1 billion in 2021-2022 to compensate its poultry sector for mass culling, is expected to be the first country in the EU to start the vaccination program, first vaccinating ducks.
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