Brazil confirms bird flu case at zoo
A worker from Brasilia Zoo in protective gear waits at the entrance to the zoo to disinfect the vehicles of employees entering the park in Brasilia on May 29. PHOTO: AFP
BrasIlia -The Brazilian government confirmed a case of bird flu at a zoo in its capital after two birds were found dead there last week.
Brazil, the world's top exporter of chicken meat, has suspended its shipments to more than 20 countries due to an avian flu outbreak that began in mid-May.
Brasilia's zoo closed on May 28 after finding a dead pigeon and dead duck that it suspected were cases of the disease.
Samples from the birds revealed 'the detection of a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza,' the Federal District's Agriculture Secretariat said on social media on June 3.
'With the confirmation of the outbreak... the closure of the zoo will remain in effect until June 12, if no new cases are detected on-site.'
This brings the total number of recently reported bird flu cases in Brazil to five, according to the ministry of agriculture.
The first case was recorded on May 16 at a farm in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.
Avian flu has spread globally in recent years, leading to mass culling of poultry, some human deaths, and a spike in egg prices.
Infections in humans can cause severe disease with a high mortality rate, according to the World Health Organisation, but the virus does not appear to move easily from person to person.
Human cases detected so far were mostly in people who had close contact with infected birds and other animals, or contaminated environments. AFP
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