Brazil Acts to Keep Bird Flu Out

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, February 24, 2006 (ENS) - The Brazilian ministries of agriculture and environment have established a plan to monitor birds that migrate through Brazil in an attempt to prevent avian influenza from infecting Brazilian poultry flocks.

Veterinarians are analyzing the birds and collecting organic material they leave in Brazilian territory on their migratory journeys.

According to the Coordinator of Avian Sanitary Control of the Ministry of Agriculture Marcelo Mota, this measure may prevent entry into the country of the lethal H5N1 virus that has killed or caused the culling of hundreds of millions of birds in Southeast Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Nigeria.

In an interview with Radiobras’ "Radio Nacional," on Thursday, Mota explained that the period of intense bird migration, when the birds leave their winter habitat in the Northern hemisphere and fly South, is already over.

At this time of year, Brazil is on the migratory path of birds flying back to Northern latitudes for spring.

Veterinarians of both ministries are visiting places where birds usually stop in Brazil in order to collect samples of their biologic material.

According to Mota, a laboratory in São Paulo has analyzed the material, which, up to now, has been found to be free of the H5N1 virus.

To date, chickens in Brazil have not been infected with bird flu, health officials say. (Photo courtesy Farm Sanctuary)

All passengers coming from places with registered cases of bird flu, especially Asia, must have their baggage inspected.

In addition, the state agricultural ministries have established a surveillance system to investigate cases of suspicious bird diseases.

Considering the sanitary challenges to which poultry is being exposed to worldwide, the Brazilian Association of Poultry Producers and Exporters strongly recommends implementing actions that may help to keep the “sanitary status” of the national main poultry stock.

"At this moment it is paramount to forbid any and all visits to breeding farms, layer farms, hatcheries, feed manufacturer, and commercial poultry farms, including areas of slaughterhouses where there may occur contact with livestock," the association says.

Mota added that the world is worried that the highly pathogenic H5N1 viral strain might mutate to a form that is easily transmissible among humans, triggering a global influenza pandemic. There was a meeting early this month in Argentina, he said, to discuss South American continental strategy to fight a possible pandemic.

"Countries are establishing plans to prevent the disease," Mota said. "Brazil has been willing to train some countries in the areas of diagnostic and epidemiology, so they will be ready to early detect the infection."