Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://www.elpais.cr/2023/02/12/sacrifican-aves-en-provincia-panamena-por-brote-de-gripe-aviar/
Birds are slaughtered in Panamanian province due to avian flu outbreak
By
Latin Press
February 12, 2023
Panama City, Feb 12 (Prensa Latina) Panamanian veterinary authorities confirmed today the slaughter of more than 1,500 poultry in the north of the western province of Veraguas due to an outbreak of avian flu or H5N1.
According to the report from the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA), the outbreak of influenza was detected in areas of difficult access in the towns of Concepción, Río Veraguas and Santa María de Belén.
The measure also included a sanitary fence, as explained to the press by the mayor of Santa Fe, Jorge Cárdenas, with the aim of protecting some five farms where there are approximately one million birds.
“Not to be alarmed, but we are preventing this from getting out of control to avoid a crisis in the poultry industry,” he pointed out.
MIDA explained in a statement that an inter-institutional team traveled to Veraguas to implement specific actions to prevent the outbreak of avian influenza, detected in backyard birds in hard-to-reach communities, from spreading to other regions.
The head of that portfolio, Augusto Valderrama, indicated that the plan is to prevent this disease from leaving these areas and affecting poultry production in the rest of the country, thus safeguarding food security.
The alert also includes a notice from the World Organization for Animal Health, which ensures that whenever avian influenza circulates among poultry, there is a risk of sporadic occurrences among humans.
At the moment, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported that two cases have been detected in humans without serious consequences, one in the United States and another in Ecuador.
In the case of Panama, scientific researchers such as Xavier Sáez-Llorens consider that for the moment the danger is over the poultry industry, but it must be vigilant and prepared for any eventuality.
Birds are slaughtered in Panamanian province due to avian flu outbreak
By
Latin Press
February 12, 2023
Panama City, Feb 12 (Prensa Latina) Panamanian veterinary authorities confirmed today the slaughter of more than 1,500 poultry in the north of the western province of Veraguas due to an outbreak of avian flu or H5N1.
According to the report from the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA), the outbreak of influenza was detected in areas of difficult access in the towns of Concepción, Río Veraguas and Santa María de Belén.
The measure also included a sanitary fence, as explained to the press by the mayor of Santa Fe, Jorge Cárdenas, with the aim of protecting some five farms where there are approximately one million birds.
“Not to be alarmed, but we are preventing this from getting out of control to avoid a crisis in the poultry industry,” he pointed out.
MIDA explained in a statement that an inter-institutional team traveled to Veraguas to implement specific actions to prevent the outbreak of avian influenza, detected in backyard birds in hard-to-reach communities, from spreading to other regions.
The head of that portfolio, Augusto Valderrama, indicated that the plan is to prevent this disease from leaving these areas and affecting poultry production in the rest of the country, thus safeguarding food security.
The alert also includes a notice from the World Organization for Animal Health, which ensures that whenever avian influenza circulates among poultry, there is a risk of sporadic occurrences among humans.
At the moment, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported that two cases have been detected in humans without serious consequences, one in the United States and another in Ecuador.
In the case of Panama, scientific researchers such as Xavier Sáez-Llorens consider that for the moment the danger is over the poultry industry, but it must be vigilant and prepared for any eventuality.