Pelicans, seagulls and boobies are the birds that die in the north of the country as a result of bird flu. Although it is not certain if it is in other areas of the country, there is scientific clarity that the H5N1 virus is present in three regions of the country: Arica and Parinacota, Tarapacá and Antofagasta
“I was in Antofagasta on Wednesday, I quickly traveled there as an emergency to go to verify the situation and support the coordination of the different services at the national level,” says the Undersecretary of Agriculture Jose Guajardo.
In an interview with La Radio he delves into the fact that bird flu is not a new issue, but rather that they have been monitoring what began to happen in the American countries for months. “This has been going on for two or three months, raising the alert because of what had happened in Canada, in the United States, how I was going down through Central America, South America. The complex situation that was experienced in Peru”.
And that even though people can get it, the risk is low. “It is not something that has a very high incidence. But obviously we have to report it and ask the public to be careful because we don’t want anything to happen to any person, ”he adds.
Flu in Chile
-When was the first case of bird flu registered in Chile?
The first complaint in Chile was on December 5 and on the 7th the first results from the laboratory came out saying that it was indeed H5N1, avian influenza.
-In which areas of the country are you currently located?
Laboratory analyzes show positivity in Arica and Parinacota, Tarapacá and Antofagasta. We understand that the virus is mobile, migratory birds may be advancing more, but what we can scientifically verify is in those three northern regions of our country.
-Have you had conversations with your peers in Peru and Ecuador to find out how to deal with the flu?
On Thursday I had a meeting with the FAO and with the specialists. They have spoken directly with the professionals and we are sharing information to be able to capitalize on what unfortunately has happened to them for the benefit of the management that we can do. We have been collecting all the information from the countries further north to be well prepared.
-What kind of birds are being affected?
They have generally been pelicans. I was in Antofagasta on Wednesday, I quickly traveled there as an emergency to go to verify the situation and support the coordination of the different services at the national level. And I was able to visually verify the presence of dead pelicans. There are also other birds such as the booby that is very common there and some types of seagull.
-What are the precautions to take so that this does not reach captive birds?
Fear exists and in the rest of the countries it has reached backyard birds, the typical chicken coop that families have in their homes, and also at the level of pavilions, of industrial production. That fear exists, it is likely to happen. We are working so that this does not happen and the main thing in all this is to control the spread of the plague.
-How do you do that?
For this we are taking precautions to collect, with all the security measures for the staff, and recover all the birds that are dead and bury them, apply lime. In such a way that these birds do not serve as dissemination.
contagion in humans
-What is the recommendation to the population?
Do not approach or take dead birds. Neither help sick birds. Use the official channels to communicate with the SAG. The institution’s website is www.sag.gob.cl and there are fixed numbers such as 223451100. You have to let the professionals go, take the birds and dispose of them in the places that are determined. The biggest risk here is spread through people as well as scavenging birds that eat the dead birds and spread the disease elsewhere.
-In other countries they have made the decision to close beaches. Is it possible for this to happen in Chile?
It should be mentioned that this is a potentially zoonotic disease. It might be transmitted from the bird to the human being. But the truth is that there is talk of 3 cases in the United States. It is not something that has a very high incidence. But obviously we have to report it and ask the public to be careful because we don’t want anything to happen to anyone.
-But might we enter a new pandemic?
There is no need to generate an unnecessary alarm for something that is not real. If the beaches in the measures that do not exist dead or sick birds will be open. Obviously, if birds appear in a minute and they have to be collected and disinfected, it will be done, but it does not imply that the beach will be closed permanently. Procedures will be carried out to rule out any contamination.
-What precautions do people have to take if they see a sick or dead bird?
Don’t go near the birds. That is the great message, that they do not approach the birds that are sick. Wild birds usually tend to start from people, if a bird does not start, has motor problems, is dead, it means that there is something going on. The message is do not come near, just inform the SAG, if you do not have the telephone number, call the Carabineros. But get away from the place and leave the bird alone.
– But what is the risk of a person if he is infected?
I don’t want to minimize. The risk of contagion is low but it exists. So stay away from the birds and let the experts work. Please help us by letting us know where these sick or dead birds are.
-Is it possible that this becomes a pandemic like the covid?
We do not have any precedent that makes us look there. This type of avian influenza has been repeated over the years, we have at least four episodes of these in the last 20 years. Every few years an outbreak appears, this outbreak is stronger for the birds than the previous ones and can cause a little more havoc.
-Will the bird flu have a pick? or Are we in the worst moment?
Most likely this will behave like a wave. As the birds migrate from the northern to the southern hemisphere, this will appear with a kind of intensity. It starts off smoothly, it will have a pick and it will go down in each of the regions, moving from north to south in Chile. But as summer ends, these birds return to the northern hemisphere and make the opposite migration. So, most likely, we will have this complexity during the summer, but by the end of the summer the effect should begin to diminish.
Economic problems
-Will the bird flu cause a rise in prices in the near future?
Not at this time, not at all. This plague is still limited to the first three regions of the country. The large hatcheries are in the Valparaíso, Metropolitan, O ́ Higgins region. Therefore it is not a problem that is going to appear now. Companies have taken all biosecurity measures in such a way that this does not appear.
-But won’t it happen to captive birds?
That does not mean that it might not appear. There is always the risk. What we have to do is manage in the best way so that it does not affect us strongly. (…) We hope that the measures that have been taken currently, where many institutions are involved, we as a ministry are working with the SAG, with INDAP for small producers, CONAF for wild areas but there is also the Health Seremi, the Ministry of Cheers, the Armed Forces that have to see everything that is happening at sea, Carabineros, the governorates, ONEMI, etc.
– Is there concern in the world of exporters that European and Asian countries will not receive Chilean birds?
The private sector has been very active. This is not something we are looking at this week or this month. This is something that has been going on for months with the private sector, we have been working with the industry, they are fully aware of what is happening here, they have taken all their biosecurity measures so that the infection does not reach their schools and we are hopeful that All the measures that we have taken responsibly and all the resources that have been provided through the SAG, the Ministry of Finance and Agriculture, are sufficient to contain this plague.
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