La Libertad: Avian influenza outbreak detected in a chicken farm | Society

Bird flu outbreak breaks out in a laying hen farm in northern China free. Due to the danger of the virus, authorities have had to take extreme measures.According to the World Organization for Animal Health (WCO), the incident Resulting in the death of 4,000 birds. The rest of the herd, consisting of more than 27,000 specimens, was sacrificed.

The incident occurred in the wake of a nationwide epidemic in 2023, which affected the supply of poultry products and caused chicken and egg prices to rise. Health authorities warn that more than 500,000 birds and 9,000 sea lions have died from bird flu this year.

Peruvian bird flu

In view of the worrying circumstances arising from this incident Avian Influenza, The Peruvian government declared a national health emergency that will last until March 2024. This measure was taken in response to the migration season of thousands of birds from North America to the Peruvian territory. In this context, a joint monitoring agreement has been implemented between the Ministry of Environment (Minam) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (Midagri), paying special attention to the health of aquatic animals and wildlife.

Despite these measures, until December 2023, the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (Serfor) and the National Authority for Nature Reserves (Sernap) reported the deaths of 61,000 birds and 1,000 mammals and 277,000 birds and 7,000 mammals respectively, demonstrating the seriousness of the health crisis.

Ministry of Health advice for avian influenza emergencies

• Minsha made suggestions to the people Avoid contact with dead birdssick or dying people to prevent the spread of avian influenza viruses, especially to poultry or pets.
• If you observe birds under these conditions, be sure to report it to the Peruvian National Agricultural Health Service (Senasa) or the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (Serfor) authorities.
• If a person has been exposed to a bird infected with the virus, they should watch for symptoms such as fever, cough, throat or muscle pain, red eyes and difficulty breathing.

What is avian influenza?

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reports that this infectious disease is called Avian Influenza It is caused by viruses belonging to the Orthomyxoviridae family. Likewise, it can be divided into two subtypes: low pathogenicity or high pathogenicity.

Low-pathogenic viruses can cause mild disease and even go unnoticed in the absence of symptoms, whereas highly pathogenic subtypes (particularly H5 and H7 A types) can cause severe disease in birds and can spread rapidly and produce high risk in death.

Although most influenza viruses that affect birds are not zoonotic, meaning they do not spread between animals and humans, the Pan American Health Organization warns that certain strains of highly pathogenic avian influenza can infect In humans, this poses a significant risk to public health.