International alert for a case of H5N1 avian flu on a commercial farm in southern Brazil, the main exporter of chickens.

In recent hours, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) informed the international community of the emergence of an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza at a commercial poultry farm located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. There were 17,025 chickens susceptible to the disease at the facility, of which 7,389 became ill and died. This is the first outbreak of HPAI detected in the commercial poultry system in Brazil, a major global exporter of chicken meat. In fact, Argentina's National Animal Health Service (Senasa) should take urgent precautions due to the proximity of the outbreak to the Argentine border and the regular trade in poultry products between the two countries. According to information sent by Mapa to the WHO (the International Veterinary Organization), the outbreak was recorded in the municipality of Montenegro, near the Atlantic Ocean, at the latitude of Uruguaiana. “The Official Veterinary Services received a notification ...