The Agriculture and Livestock Administration (SAG) declared a state of alert after receiving information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA). According to a report issued by the U.S. entity, cows on the dairy farm tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), specifically the H5N1 strain.
SAG Country Director José Guajardo Reyes stressed that so far there have been no cases of avian influenza infection in cattle in Chile. Likewise, he noted that the USDA report does not indicate that the virus has changed in a way that makes it more likely to spread to humans, thus keeping the risk to the population low.
However, Guajardo explained that the SAG conducts active nationwide surveillance for avian influenza and reiterated that Chile is still considered a country free of the disease in poultry.
The detection of HPAI-positive cows in the United States has attracted worldwide attention, but for now Chilean authorities have assured the country there is no need to panic. However, they remain alert and vigilant for any unexpected events that may arise related to this disease.