At the end of the winter season and with it the migration of millions of birds from the United States and Canada to the south, outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza AH5N1 in Mexico decreased almost 70 percent compared to the 2022-2023 period.
The slaughter of birds in affected production units is equivalent to two percent of those reported in the same period.
The Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development urges the poultry industry not to let its guard down and redouble efforts during bird migration periods, with the aim of keeping the country as a disease-free zone.
Between October 2022 and March 2023, technicians from the National Agri-Food Health, Safety and Quality Service (Senasica) attended to 56 outbreaks of the disease in 13 entities and just over 6 million birds were sacrificed to prevent the spread of the pathogen.
A year later, 17 outbreaks were attended to in six states, most of them in backyard units and wild areas. And it was necessary to sacrifice 129,898 birds. This is almost 98 percent less than the previous period.
And the same trend was observed in the strategic application of vaccines against the AH5N1 virus, since during the previous outbreak, Agriculture authorized the application of 201 million 652 thousand doses of the biological in 21 entities.
Meanwhile, for the recently concluded winter season, only 65 million doses of vaccines were approved for 6 entities, equivalent to 25 percent.
The strategy that was applied to combat the disease in Mexico was different from that used by European countries and the United States, which together reported the sacrifice of more than 100 million birds during 2023.
Senasica reminds poultry farmers that all commercial companies must have an authorized responsible veterinary doctor under contract, to verify compliance with official Animal Health provisions and notify the General Directorate of Animal Health, immediately, of any increase in mortality. of birds or low egg production.
And he emphasizes that biosecurity is the best protection against avian influenza and it is the responsibility of the poultry farmer to protect his flocks.
To report the suspicion of the presence of an exotic animal disease or pest, Senasica makes available to producers and the general population the telephone number 800 751 2100 and the AVISE application, which is used on iOS and Android systems.
They can also make reports at any office of the Ministry of Agriculture or Senasica that are located in the 32 States of the Republic.