Bird flu alert: 21 sea lions die in Tierra del Fuego

Given the suspected deaths of several sea lions, it was decided to send samples to Senasa National Laboratory. They were diagnosed positive for H5 avian influenza.

this Sea lion found dead in Rio Grande, located in the province of Tierra del Fuego.be found 21 corpsesAmong them, the first positive case can be confirmed Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 in wild mammals.

These studies were conducted as a result of surveillance actions and hygiene measures across the country to prevent the disease.

This is at Senasa Resolution No. 147/2023Declared a state of emergency over HPAI with the goal of continuing to be a poultry disease-free country.

Senasa, together with the provincial government and the municipality of the Rio Grande, formed a commission to monitor the affected area and carry out control and containment tasks.

Despite the low number of cases, the alarm remains due to the ease of transmission. Therefore, health agencies continue to work with different regions to prevent transmission.

Faced with the discovery of infected wolves, Senasa and the provincial environment department developed sanitation protocols to intervene.

It is for this reason that access and approaches are disabled along the coast of the Rio Grande Reserve. In addition, samples were collected and sent to Buenos Aires for analysis.

It is known from other cases around the world that marine mammals can be susceptible to bird flu and occasionally become infected. The known positive cases in the region are in Peru and Chile.

Members of the Senasa National Animal Health Agency and its Regional Center for Southern Patagonia; representatives of the Ministry of Production and the Environment and the Ministry of Health of the province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands met to develop guidelines for follow-up.

According to the Argentine Ministry of Health, on Tuesday, Argentina has returned to the health status of a bird flu-free country. World Organization for Animal Health (DNSA). This is why the export of poultry meat and poultry eggs has been restarted.

It has been 162 days since the first bird flu outbreak occurred in Argentina. At that time, there were 2.2 million poultry on 18 farms in the country.

Advice on preventing the spread of bird flu

Senasa advises producers, institutions and the public not to visit any poultry farms where animals show symptoms associated with HPAI.

Senasa must be notified if high mortality, neurological, digestive or respiratory symptoms of a susceptible species are found in wild birds or in commercial or backyard domestic birds.

This can be done by calling 11 5700 5704, emailing notificaciones@senasa.gob.ar or via the app Senasa Notice.