To demonstrate that Brazil's commercial and subsistence domestic birds are free of avian influenza, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) intensified surveillance actions for the disease.

• Since July 2022, more than 35,000 serum samples and approximately 11,200 pools of trachea and cloaca swabs from birds have been collected;
• Actions aim to detect early cases of avian influenza, demonstrate the absence of the disease in commercial poultry farming and monitor the occurrence of avian influenza strains of importance for Public Health;
• Samples collected by the Official Veterinary Service (SVO) of all states are analyzed in the Network of Federal Agricultural Defense Laboratories (LFDA);
• To date, 10,350 trials have been conducted from the swabs and all have tested negative for avian influenza;
• As for the serum samples, 33,236 ELISA tests have been performed and only 0.3% of the samples (93) were positive for the presence of antibodies to the influenza A virus;
• Positive samples were typified and antibodies to subtypes H1, H9, H13 and H16 of influenza A virus were detected, subtypes of low pathogenicity and that do not compromise the national poultry culture;
• Passive surveillance actions intensified and, until March 24, 2023, 1,639 samples collected by the SVO were sent to LFDA-SP in response to 54 suspected cases of avian influenza throughout the national territory;
• All suspicious samples analyzed by LFDA-SP obtained negative results for avian influenza;
• Tests performed in the LFDA Network in compliance with the Surveillance Plan of the National Poultry Health Program show that, for the time being, there is no circulation of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the national territory.

Source: Canal Rural