Argentina declares a health emergency due to avian influenza

Argentina declared a health emergency for avian influenza on Wednesday after detecting the virus in wild birds in the north of the country.

The National Agrifood Health and Quality Service (SENASA) confirmed the contagion of specimens of the Andean goose species, after receiving an alert from national parks personnel in a lagoon in the province of Jujuy, 1,500 kilometers north of Buenos Aires.

“This forces us to declare a health emergency in our territory,” announced the Secretary of Agriculture, Juan José Bahillo, at a press conference.

The official clarified that the finding “did not take us by surprise” due to the outbreak of avian influenza that affects several countries on the continent and that is spread mainly by the migration of wild birds from North to South America, which “makes it very difficult to his control”.

The United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Honduras, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Chile and, more recently, Uruguay recognized the presence of the virus in their territories.

Bahillo is confident that Argentina can minimize the impact of avian influenza because poultry farms have strict safety regulations and access requirements.

“In principle, we allow ourselves to be optimistic that we would not be entering productive sectors,” said the Secretary of Agriculture.

Avian influenza is not transmitted to humans by eating poultry meat or eggs. However, cases have been detected in people due to improper manipulation. Ecuador confirmed in mid-January the infection of a nine-year-old girl who had had contact with infected birds.

In birds, the virus has a high mortality rate and has caused millions in losses in several of the affected countries.

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