Mexico reports first outbreak of H5N1 bird flu on poultry farms

PARIS (Reuters) - Mexico reported its first outbreak this season of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu on a farm, the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Thursday, just a month after Mexico declared it was free of the virus. illness. illness. The outbreak detected in the northwestern state of Sonora killed 15,000 of a flock of 90,000 laying hens, and the remaining birds were culled, Paris-based WOAH said, citing Mexican authorities. “The first outbreak of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza this season was reported at a poultry production facility in the municipality of Cajeme, Sonora,” WOAH said in a report. He added that the subtype of the virus found is H5N1, which is not dangerous to humans through the consumption of meat or eggs. Mexico's Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement on Wednesday that there was a quarantine in place to prevent the spread. The ministry also said that the disease was detected on another farm three kilometers away, which housed ...