VIRAL ALERT

Animal Health Emergency Declared in Brazil Over Avian Flu Outbreak

The emergency will be in effect across the country for at least 180 days.

A six-month animal health emergency was declared in Brazil on Monday after the country’s first detection of avian flu in wild birds. Seven cases of the highly infectious virus were reported in the southeastern state of Espírito Santo with another found in the neighboring state of Rio de Janeiro. The nationwide 180-day emergency declaration allows health officials to more easily introduce new measures to prevent the spread of the H5N1 virus across Brazil—the world’s largest exporter of chicken meat. The world has been gripped by the worst known outbreak of avian flu since October 2021, with more deaths recorded than in any previous outbreaks. It’s unclear why this time has been so much worse, with the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) saying the crisis has had “devastating impacts on animal health and welfare.”