July 23, 2024
Newcastle disease strikes poultry farm in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Officials at Brazil's Agriculture Ministry have recently confirmed an outbreak of Newcastle disease at a commercial poultry farm in Anta Gorda, a municipality in Rio Grande do Sul, the country's southernmost state.
The government said the farm was immediately quarantined once the case was under investigation. "A complementary investigation will also be carried out within a 10-kilometer radius around the outbreak area, in addition to other necessary measures as per the epidemiological assessment," the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement.
The last confirmed cases of Newcastle disease in Brazil were recorded in 2006 in the states of Amazonas, Mato Grosso, and Rio Grande do Sul.
Control measures include strict isolation or quarantine of outbreaks and the destruction of all infected and exposed birds.
The outbreak could severely impact Brazil's poultry industry, as many countries may ban products from Rio Grande do Sul, the country's third-largest poultry exporter, which accounts for almost 15% of shipments.
So far, Brazilian commercial poultry farms have managed to avoid avian influenza, which is ravaging farms worldwide.
- The Brazilian Report