New outbreaks of bird flu have been detected in Ecuador, this time in the province of Manabí, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) reported this Thursday afternoon, November 16, through the Agency for Phyto and Zoosanitary Regulation and Control (Agrocalidad). .). However, these outbreaks have been reported in wild birds, not backyard birds, nor in national production sites.

Agrocalidad assured that the national poultry production is guaranteed, since these new positive cases are from wild birds and not from any commercial area. It has also been confirmed that the country remains disease free for 90 days in backyards and 110 days in commercial production sites.

The Ministry of Agriculture believes that bird flu is under control in the country after three months without reports of new cases

The Agency also pointed out that 13.6 million birds have been immunized so far, but they call on poultry farms to continue to adhere to the implemented vaccination scheme and take extreme biosecurity measures to mitigate the effects of the disease.

Last May, MAG assured that the disease was under control and highlighted this at the 90th General Session of the World Assembly of Delegates of the World Organization for Animal Health (WHO), a meeting held in Paris. Minister Eduardo Izaguirre pointed out that until then 6.3 million birds had been vaccinated with an investment of more than 2.7 million dollars to combat disease outbreaks.

The farm where the latest bird flu outbreak was discovered has already been approved for vaccination, according to Agrocalidad

From November 2022 to February 2023, avian influenza affected 1,193,491 birds on farms in five provinces in the Sierra region, most of which were dedicated to egg production. According to Agrocalidad, 15 bird flu outbreaks have been detected up to that date, with a total of 20 farms: 9 in Cotopaxi, 7 in Tungurahua, 2 in Bolívar and Pichincha and Azuay with one. However, on July 27, a case was confirmed on a farm in the canton of Salcedo, in the province of Cotopaxi.

The agency stated that as a measure to combat avian influenza, it monitors the vaccination process on poultry farms with the aim of maintaining the health status of animals in the poultry sector in the province of Cotopaxi.