Avian flu outbreaks set off alarm bells in countries in the region that issued a joint statement

The outbreaks of avian influenza in wild and domestic animals detected in some countries of the Andean Community, including Ecuador, where an outbreak was detected at the end of last November on a farm in the province of Cotopaxi, sets off alarms on the continent.

In this way, the member countries of the Permanent Veterinary Committee of the Southern Cone (CVP) and the General Secretariat of the Andean Community (SGCAN) issued a joint declaration regarding the risk that this disease represents for poultry farming, food safety and public health. of the subregions.

After slaughtering 180,000 birds, test results are awaited to repopulate the farm affected by avian influenza

“Considering that highly pathogenic avian influenza is an infectious, highly transmissible, transboundary viral disease that affects both wild and domestic birds, characterized by high mortality and that generates significant direct and indirect losses in the production chain and poultry supply and which constitutes a barrier to international trade, it is necessary to reinforce surveillance actions in member countries, either to prevent the entry of the disease and/or control measures to prevent its spread to free territories of it”, indicates part of the document issued by both blocks.

In this context, the CVP and the SGCAN recommend working in the following areas:

• Urge the highest government authorities to manage the reinforcement of support for official veterinary services.
• Strengthen active and passive epidemiological surveillance in order to detect the disease early and achieve a rapid response.
• Reinforce biosecurity in poultry farms, particularly those close to transit sites, resting places for migratory birds, and border areas.
• Reinforce and support veterinary services, through exceptional measures of financial and logistical management so that, within the framework of health alert or emergency systems, they have the human and logistical resources to deal with this situation.
• Strengthen the capacity of diagnostic laboratories.
• Take steps to achieve the support of environmental authorities, civilians and security forces, both at the central level and in the territories, to help prevent and/or control the disease and effectively address states of health alert and emergency.
• Strengthen public-private partnerships to help prevent and control avian influenza.
• Carry out, under the leadership of the official veterinary services in each member country, in a joint and coordinated manner, risk communication work, with an interdisciplinary and inter-institutional approach, with the participation of the agriculture, environment, health and safety authorities, among others. .
• Maintain permanent communication between the veterinary services of both blocks.

In Ecuador, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) ordered the slaughter of some 180,000 birds from the farm affected by the virus in a rural parish in the Latacunga canton, complying with the biosafety and animal welfare parameters defined by the World Organization for Animal Health ( OMSA).

Bernardo Manzano, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, said that all protocols to control the virus are being followed and called on the population to know that this outbreak of avian influenza does not affect humans.

The Ministry of Agriculture declares a 90-day animal health emergency in Ecuador due to an outbreak of bird flu. 180,000 birds will be slaughtered

This protocol will continue 21 days after disinfection and cleaning, and the induction of sentinel birds negative for avian influenza will proceed. The MAG and Agrocalidad will carry out continuous monitoring of sentinel birds by taking samples to rule out the presence of the virus.

If negative results are obtained in this period, the farm will be completely repopulated. Likewise, in the event that the sentinels have a positive result for influenza, the process will resume with the slaughter of the birds and the entire process described above.