7 News Belize

Belize Free of Avian Influenza
posted (September 9, 2015)

Viewers may remember that in January of this year BAHA detected avian influenza in Belize, and in June the poultry farmers had to over 75,000 chickens to stymie the spread of the virus. That resulted in a poultry shortage, which later caused an egg shortage and forced the prices on both products to go up.

The bad news is that it has caused the poultry industry a total loss of over 6 million dollars. The good news is that it was effective in getting the country's poultry stock fully decontaminated. That's why today, BAHA announced that it has lifted the quarantine it implemented in the Cayo District.

BAHA notes that Belize is the only country in the region to have successfully eradicated an outbreak of the avian influenza virus. Though it is cause for a collective sigh of relief, BAHA notes that everyone still needs to remain vigilant that the virus is not brought back into the country from any location. BAHA also notes that there is also a threat of highly pathogenic avian influenza being introduced into local poultry stocks by migratory wild birds from North America. As such, the movement of live poultry - other than day old chicks - will remain restricted until further notice. If you are a poultry farmer, whether commercial or backyard, BAHA asks that you maintain your biosecurity measures and notify them if there are any signs of high mortality or unusual occurrences in your flock.

BAHA also wishes to reassure the public that poultry meat and eggs are safe for human consumption.

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7 News Belize