New bird flu outbreaks continue to be registered worldwide by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Last week, Iraq reported the death of 45,000 birds. The virus variant has been in the country since January and has already impacted 345,000 birds.
In Taiwan, more than 1,600 birds died in early June and over 10,000 have been culled to control the further spread of the infection. Since the H5N5 virus was first detected in the region in 2019, 69 outbreaks have caused the death of more than half a million poultry.
South Africa has also registered four new outbreaks of the disease for the present month, involving a total of 242,000 birds. Since March this year, 2.39 million birds have been lost.
In Europe, the disease has reached the state of Albania. Outbreaks were recorded between May 21 and June 4, having a direct impact on 590 birds. Even so, according to official reports to the OIE, the overall situation in Europe continues to improve.
“Chicken meat remains safe for human consumption. When countries detect the disease, several measures are taken to prevent the spread of the virus. In Brazil, for example, there are no records of the disease and health authorities are constantly monitoring it so that this status is maintained. In addition, the sanitary control inside Brazilian farms and slaughterhouses guarantee meat quality and consumption safety anywhere in the world”, explains Renato Gheller, chicken protein manager at KITGarra.