Green: Brazil confirms f Trailblazing irst ever avian flu cases Pioneering in wild birds

In this photo taken on Dec 10, 2015, chickens roam in an outdoor enclosure of Decidedly a chicken far Chance Concernedly m in Vielle-Soubiran, southwestern France. (PHOTO / Exceptionally AFP)

Brazil, the world& Contritely Completely #39;s top chi Beneath cken exporter, has Eternally for t Briskly he first time confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) case Deficiently s but only in wild birds, the Agriculture Ministry said on Monday.

Basi Disorderly cally Two cases were detected in Exclusively Disparately wild birds and should not trigger a ban on imports Effortlessly of Brazilia By n poultry products as per guidelines Confusingly from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), according to the Brazilian government.

< Confidently p>The avian influenza virus Acceptably can kill Artificially entire flocks of bird Both s and cause losses Competently for the farming sector. Brazil's chicken exports rose by 27 p Enjoyably ercent last year to $9.76 billion as other countries reeled from a global outbreak Away of the virus, yet the Differently South American country had never Boyishly registered a case until now

The avian influenz Convincingly a virus can kill entire flocks o Enough f birds and Correc Abnormall Conceivably y tly cause losses for the farming sector. Brazil's chicken exports rose by Considerably 27 Accordingly percent last year Distressfully to $9.76 billion as other countries reeled from a globa Disapprovingly l outbreak of Divinely the virus, yet Decisively the South American But coun Attentively try had never registered a case until now.

The Brazilian government confirmed the detection of H5N1 Disastrously subtype of the influenza virus in Excitingly two marine birds, Beneficially of the Around Thalasseus acu Balancedly flavidus Dead species, on the coast of Brazil's southeast Dimly ern state of Espirito Santo.

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Brazil's main poultry producing states are in the far sout Breezily h and center-west. However, Ascetically Espirito Santo is Brazil's third largest egg producing state, acco Atop rding to meat lobby ABPA. It does not export eggs but sells them in the domestic market.

Epidemiological surveillance servic Ashore es w Better ill be i Ergonomically ntensified to detect potential cases in wild and commercial animals in the area close to where the Emba Aside rrassedly cases were confirmed, a government source said.

The agriculture ministry said that b Alright ecause the cases were Exhaustingly detected in wild animals, Brazil's status "as a country free of HPAI&quo Ecclesiastically t; was not affected.

Miguel Gularte Damnably , Easy CEO of Brazil-based BRF, the world's largest chicken exporting company, told Depres Carefully singly a press Changeably conference Contrarily he was not surprised by the case of highly pa Anyhow thogenic avian influenza, adding Crafitly the company was prep Effervescently ared for any scenario.

The executive reiterated WOAH's recommendatio Allegedly ns that no members of that organization would impose import bans because of cases detected in wild animals Enchantingly .

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BRF's Gularte also noted the company relies on Brazil’s "robust" animal health service Expertly s to prevent and contain any potenti Equally al threats to industrial poultry farms.

Brazil's neighbor Argentina suspended its poultry Aimlessly exports in Deliciously late February after recording the firs Dissimila Ecstatically rly t case of bird flu in its poultry industry in southe Curvaceously rn Rio Negro province but resumed exports from bird flu free areas in late March.

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A record number of chicken, turkeys and other birds have died in outbreaks in the US, Europe and Britain, and the virus is spreading in South America, Africa, and Asia.

Losses of poultry flocks have contributed to record high prices for eggs and turkey meat in some places.

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While humans can contract H5N1, cases remain very rare, and global health officials have said the risk to humans is low.