Vaccination against bird flu began this Friday, March 3, at a farm in Puéllar, in the north of the province of Pichincha, the Ministry of Agriculture reported.

There are four million doses of vaccine that were originally imported for this vaccination campaign on farms near where the disease was detected. The import of 10 million additional doses against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was also approved.

Poultry sector achieves vaccination against bird flu with lower production and consumption of eggs, but with an increase in chicken meat

In Pichincha, Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, Bolívar, Azuay and Imbabura, 17 detected and controlled outbreaks of bird flu were registered in Ecuador.

“We are taking the necessary measures to support the poultry sector, which is one of our main sources of chicken meat and eggs. Vaccination will continue in provinces where there have been positive cases of the virus,” said the Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Andrés Suárez.

Bird flu does not have a high chance of being transmitted from person to person, says the Minister of Health about the discovered case

Vaccination will be carried out on farms that respect the implementation of biosecurity measures, are registered with the Agency for Phytosanitary and Zoosanitary Regulation and Control (Agrocalidad), have a responsible veterinarian for the farm and have negative results of diagnostic tests.

Technicians provide technical assistance and advice to poultry farmers, as well as inspection, verification of biosecurity measures and registration of farms to participate in vaccination.

In Ecuador, the vaccination campaign started on March 3, 2023, on farms near where the presence of avian influenza was detected. Photo: Courtesy of the Ministry of Agriculture

The technical subcommittee of the National Poultry Commission analyzed five initial vaccine proposals, two of which meet the technical requirements and have permission for import and supply in the country.

Agrocalidado CEO Patricio Almeida said that bird flu is not an isolated phenomenon in Ecuador, but is present on the American continent, and its spread is enhanced by migratory birds.

The Deputy Minister of Rural Development recalled that the Ministry extended the declaration of a state of emergency related to animal health until May 27 in order to implement actions to support poultry farming. In this way, actions to suppress the consequences of the presence of bird flu in the country will be carried out.