With almost one million birds dead, Mexican authorities have declared a national animal health emergency to help prevent the spread of N7N3 avian flu from chicken farms in Jalisco to other parts of the country.
Of 14.4 million birds analyzed, over 2.5 million are reported to be infected in a quarantined zone in Los Altos region of Jalisco (mostly the municipalities of Tepatitlan and Acatic), according to Mexico’s animal health agency (SENASICA). More than six million chickens are reared at nearly 500 farms in the area.
At least 987,000 birds have been sacrificed since the outbreak was detected around June 13, SENASICA officials confirm. Health authorities stress that there is no possibility that the virus can be transmitted to humans.
SENASICA has discovered the virus in at least 24 of the 129 farms it has inspected across Jalisco so far. Although the outbreak remains localized in two municipalities, the national emergency declaration has been taken as a “precautionary measure,” said a representative from the Agriculture, Fishing and Food Department (Sagrapa).
SENASICA has also announced plans to produce 80 million vaccines in August and said the first two million doses will be made available by the end of July. Meanwhile, the neighboring states of Guanajuato and Colima have blocked the importation of poultry or eggs from Jalisco.
Farmers throughout Mexico are being notified on how to check birds for symptoms of the virus and what quarantine measures to take if their flocks become infected.
Mexico is the world’s largest consumer of eggs and Jalisco produces around 55 percent of the country’s eggs, as well as ten percent of its poultry meat. Poultry farming generates 400,000 direct jobs in Jalisco, mostly in Los Altos.
“It is a very important sector for our state, so we are taking this [outbreak] very seriously,” said Governor Emilio Gonzalez this week. The National Union of Poultry Farmers (UNA) has assured consumers there is no risk from eating eggs because the virus is not transferred from chicken to egg.
Due to the avian flu outbreak, the price of eggs has risen in grocery shops and markets across Jalisco. Mexico’s economy secretary Bruno Ferrari has not ruled out emergency imports of eggs but warned this could lead to further price hikes, given that prices in the United States are around 40 percent higher than in Mexico.
The price of eggs in independent stores in Guadalajara has almost doubled over the past fortnight from around 12 to 14 pesos per kilo to 22 to 25. The price of chicken in the metropolitan zone has also risen to 36 to 42 pesos, around 10 pesos more than it normally costs.
However, prices have remained stable in convenience stores and supermarkets, raising suggestions that smaller businesses are engaged in price gouging.
Last Friday the Federal Consumer Agency (Profeco) launched a program to examine the sales of chicken and eggs across Jalisco in order to verify whether prices are being raised without justification.