Bird flu is not a risk for the general public, government says

The Health Ministry released a series of recommended preventive measures.

Vice-president of Argentina’s National Healthcare and Agrifood Quality Service (SENASA) Rodolfo Acerbi said on Monday that the chances of people being affected by bird flu are low, stressing that the disease is not transmitted through consuming chicken or eggs. 

“The only way people can get infected is if they handle dead or diseased birds,” Acerbi told the news agency Télam and added that avian influenza does not represent a risk to the health of the country’s population.

In total, SENASA has confirmed five cases among wild birds and birds raised on small farms – the first one in Jujuy on February 14 and the latest in Santa Fe on February 19. The disease has also been detected in Córdoba and Salta. So far, SENASA has received a total of 98 reported cases which have yet to be confirmed. 

Last Wednesday, Health Access Secretary Sandra Tirado said in a press conference that people should cook poultry well and consult with physicians if they show symptoms following direct contact with birds. Symptoms in humans can range from mild infections — a fever or a cough — to severe respiratory issues and pneumonia.

The Health Ministry also recommended adopting the following preventive measures:

• Frequently wash hands with water and soap, or use alcohol-based disinfectants.

• Avoid contact with wild birds.

• In case of finding dead or sick birds, avoid contact and report them to the SENASA.

• Do not touch surfaces that could be contaminated with wild birds’ or poultry’s saliva, mucosa, or feces.

• There are currently no travel restrictions in place but people going to areas that are potentially affected by bird flu are being urged to adopt preventive measures.

At the time of writing, the potentially-affected areas identified by the ministry were Laguna de las Mojarras and Alejo Ledesma in Córdoba, Laguna de los Pozuelos in Jujuy, Cerrillos in Salta and Villa Cañas in Santa Fe.

SENASA has reinforced its epidemiological monitoring in those areas, including disinfecting vehicles and farms. In Córdoba and Salta, inspections were held in the zones where the cases were detected and there are preventive controls at the Uruguayan border in Entre Ríos.

The ministry also clarified that city birds such as pigeons and sparrows are low-risk because they are not susceptible to the virus.

The spread of new cases across the region has raised alarms across Latin America and the Argentine government will hold a summit today to discuss next steps. So far, cases have been confirmed in Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina. Suspected cases of the disease, which have not been confirmed, have been reported in Paraguay and Brazil.

You can report sightings of diseased or dead birds at local SENASA offices, by emailing [email protected], by calling or sending a WhatsApp message to 11-5700-5704, by downloading the “Notificaciones Senasa” app or on the SENASA website.

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