August 2, 2023

Ecuador activates emergency protocols following avian influenza outbreak

Authorities in Ecuador have implemented contingency protocols after a new outbreak of avian influenza was confirmed in a commercial farm in the Andean province of Cotopaxi, the Agency for Regulation and Control of Animal and Plant Health (Agrocalidad) announced on July 30.

The Ecuadorian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock agency said in a statement that the detection came after 100 days of not registering the presence of the disease in the country.

The “quarantine and containment of the detected farm" was ordered, in addition to the “epidemiological surveillance of technicians in the focal and perifocal (surrounding) area to prevent the spread of the virus to other sites," Agrocalidad's communiqué stated.

Special teams have also been placed under round-the-clock alert in case of other notifications while a vaccination plan against the disease was extended in Cotopaxi and in the neighboring provinces of Tungurahua and Chimborazo.

Farms owners, who have vaccinated their birds with a single dose, were urged to apply a second dose as a biosecurity measure.

“The commitment to control the disease is a joint effort between the poultry sector, the national government and the public," the statement read.

Last November, Ecuador declared a nationwide animal health emergency for 90 days after the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus was detected in several farms, mostly in the Andean region.

- Xinhua