Honduran Government Declares Emergency Due To Avian Influenza

The Government of Honduras declared this Saturday a health emergency for 90 days throughout the territory due to the presence of avian influenza, which was detected in pelicans.

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The head of the Secretariat of Agriculture and Livestock (SAG), Laura Suazo, declared to the media that experts have confirmed 123 cases of avian influenza in these birds, of which 109 were found dead.

She explained that the emergency declaration, published in the official gazette La Gaceta, has a preventive, control and elimination of cases, which is why this measure has also been adopted in countries such as Mexico, Panama and Chile.

He explained that the declaration establishes the adoption of sanitary measures to prevent the spread of the disease to domestic and wild birds, prioritizing those areas where cases are detected.

He stressed that this is a necessary step to guarantee that the country will not be affected by this disease and urged the population to avoid contact with birds that could have died from the disease.

He added that the emergency could be extended if necessary and that Honduras will have access to funds from the International Regional Agricultural Health Organization (OIRSA), amounting to about six million lempiras (more than US$244,000), to deal with the situation.

The National Agrifood Health and Safety Service (Senasa) confirmed the presence of this type of influenza in pelicans in the departments of Atlántida and Cortés, located in the north of the Central American nation, specifically on the Caribbean coast.

These cases were detected on January 4 and a day later the National Avian Influenza Emergency Plan was activated. So far, no cases have been reported among domestic birds or poultry.