The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Agriculture) of the federal government confirmed the arrival of AH5N1 avian flu in Yucatan, as it was recently detected in a farm in the state.
Through an official statement, the federal agency announced that so far this virus has been detected in commercial farms in states such as Sonora, Jalisco, Nuevo Leon and more recently in Yucatan, as well as in three backyard farms in Chiapas, Chihuahua and the State of Mexico.
In this regard, Agriculture announced that since the first record of AH5N1 avian flu in Mexico, this virus has spread in about 1,400,000 affected birds, which represents 0.07 percent of the national flock.
However, the agency headed by Víctor Villalobos Arámbula stressed that the current records do not pose “any risk” to the country’s egg and chicken supply.
What is AH5N1 avian flu?
AH5N1 avian flu is a strain of influenza virus that mainly infects birds, but can also infect humans.
The most common way this type of flu spreads is through person-to-person contact with infected birds.
Symptoms in humans begin to appear within two to eight days and may resemble those of a common cold. The patient may have a cough, fever, sore throat and headache, muscle aches and difficulty breathing.
The disease has a high mortality rate among humans. Some antiviral drugs, if taken within two days of the onset of symptoms, may help.
TYT Newsroom