April 23, 2013

Mexico reports new bird flu outbreaks

Mexico has reported 11 new outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) of the H7N3 subtype during the last month.

The veterinary authority has sent follow up report no. five dated April 17 to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

The report outlines 11 new outbreaks of H7N3 HPAI starting between March 4 and April 4. A total of 664,126 poultry were involved, among which there were 8,505 cases and 502 birds died.

Of the new bird flu outbreaks, six were in Jalisco, four in Guanajuato and one in Tlaxcala. Six outbreaks were on commercial layer farms (four in Jalisco and two in Guanajuato), three on heavy breeder farms (one in Jalisco and two in Guanajuato), one in broilers (Jalisco) and one in backyard poultry (Tlaxcala). An epidemiological investigation is on-going in this last outbreak.

Several outbreaks were identified from virus isolated in previously immunised flocks, which did not show clinical signs nor drop in production, according to the OIE report.