MG Declares Health Emergency After Avian Flu Case in Ornamental Birds in Greater Belo Horizonte

The government of Minas Gerais declared a state of animal health emergency after confirming a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in ornamental birds at a site in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, in the city of Mateus Leme. The measure was published and aims to intensify disease prevention and control actions. According to the State Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Seapa) and the Minas Gerais Agricultural Institute (IMA), responsible for health monitoring, the new case does not compromise, at this moment, the state's poultry production. The registration occurs about a year after the first diagnosis in Minas, in 2023, when a wild duck was infected by a less aggressive subtype (H9N2), considered low pathogenicity and without risk to human health. With the emergency decreed, the State will be able to mobilize human, material, and financial resources for disease surveillance, containment, and eradication actions. The actions follow the High ...