Thousands of birds, including a majority of pelicans, have died from the H5N1 bird flu in Peru, according to the National Forestry and Wildlife Service. In Switzerland, measures have been put in place to prevent the spread of the virus following the first cases detected in mid-November.
On the beaches of Lima, the capital of Peru, the agents of the agricultural health service carry out a sad task: to collect the corpses of pelicans by the whole bags.
“According to the latest official national report, more than 13,869 wild seabirds have died” due to the current epidemic, inside and outside the country’s protected areas, said a statement from the National Service of Forests and Wildlife (Serfor). Of this number, some 10,257 pelicans have been counted.
Health alert
The National Agricultural Health Service (Senasa) specified that a sanitary cordon was set up in the village of Gallito, in the region of Lambayeque, in order to control the first outbreak of avian flu detected in a poultry farm.
Senasa issued a 180-day health alert last week following confirming three cases of the highly contagious H5N1 avian flu in pelicans. He said the health alert was issued as a precaution because the virus, imported by migratory birds from North America, might spread to “backyard poultry” and commercial farms.
Walter Silva, a specialist at Serfor, recalled that the first outbreak of bird flu on the American continent was declared in Canada last year. In January, the virus was detected in the United States, which affected poultry production.
Avian influenza is an incurable disease without treatment that causes significant mortality among wild and domestic birds such as ducks, hens, chickens and turkeys.
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