Latest news with #WorldOrganisationForAnimalHealth
Reuters
28-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
US likely to resume Mexican cattle imports by year end, USDA chief veterinarian says
PARIS, May 28 (Reuters) - The United States will likely resume Mexican cattle imports by year-end, after a halt due to the spread in Mexico of the New World screwworm pest that can devastate livestock, the U.S. agriculture department's chief veterinarian said on Wednesday. Screwworm can infest livestock, wildlife, and in rare cases, people. Maggots from screwworm flies burrow into the skin of animals, causing serious and often fatal damage. The USDA indefinitely suspended cattle imports from Mexico this month, citing the pest's northward movement. "We want to make sure that we're comfortable that the way that they're doing surveillance gives us a good picture of what our risk level is for the fly continuing to move north," USDA's chief veterinary officer, Rosemary Sifford, told Reuters on the sidelines of the World Organisation for Animal Health's annual assembly in Paris. "It's hard to say exactly when, but (imports will resume) for sure before the end of the year, unless something really dramatically changes," Sifford said. No new cases of screwworm have been found farther north than one detected two weeks ago about 700 miles from the U.S.-Mexican border, Sifford said. A USDA mission will travel to Mexico in the coming days, Mexico's agriculture ministry said on Tuesday. Sifford also gave the end of the year as a "very last" deadline for controlling the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, in dairy cows. The virus has led to the deaths of over 173 million chickens, turkeys and other birds in the United States since 2022 and infected more than 1,000 dairy herds since 2024, USDA data show. Seventy people in the U.S. have also tested positive, mostly farm workers, since 2024, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The only new (dairy) cases that we are seeing at this point are in states where we already have herds affected and are very much associated with biosecurity problems," Sifford said. "I'm not sure if (a full halt) will happen by the summer, but we're definitely on a steady path." For poultry flocks, the summer should be "quiet" for infections, with the number of outbreaks falling in recent weeks, Sifford said. Wild birds can transmit the virus to poultry flocks, which are then culled to contain outbreaks. "We are not seeing introductions from wild birds, so we are expecting a quiet summer," Sifford said.
Reuters
27-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Brazil confident it can seal regional trade deals with EU, US despite bird flu
PARIS, May 27 (Reuters) - Brazil is negotiating with the European Union and the United States to limit bird flu-related trade restrictions to affected regions, Brazil's veterinary officer said on Tuesday, expressing strong confidence in reaching agreements. Brazil, the world's largest chicken exporter, confirmed its first outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, on a poultry farm earlier this month, triggering country-wide trade bans from several major importers while others implemented state-wide restrictions. Negotiations with the two blocs are taking place at the general session of the World Organisation for Animal Health in Paris. "We know this is not the perfect time to negotiate, but it will happen eventually, as major poultry producers like the U.S. and Brazil face the same challenges," Brazil's Chief Veterinary Officer Marcelo Mota told Reuters. He added he was "very confident" that agreements would be reached.
Free Malaysia Today
11-05-2025
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Malaysia seeks assurances from Thailand after human death from anthrax
The department of veterinary services said it is concerned because Malaysia imports live cattle and buffalo from Thailand. PETALING JAYA : Malaysia is seeking assurances from Thailand after it confirmed a human death due to anthrax infection on May 1. The department of veterinary services (DVS) said Malaysia has remained free of anthrax since the last reported case to the World Organisation for Animal Health in 1976. However, it said it is taking the outbreak seriously and has asked the Thai authorities about their contingency plan for managing the situation. 'Malaysia imports live cattle and buffalo from Thailand, and all livestock entering the country must undergo strict veterinary inspections before being allowed in,' it said in a statement this morning. 'The DVS remains vigilant and seeks an assurance from Thailand that no animals and animal products suspected of being from high-risk areas of anthrax are exported to Malaysia.' It said it has also requested the Thai authorities to provide updates, and measures taken to control the movement of animals and animal products within the country. Anthrax is a rare but serious disease caused by bacteria, typically transmitted through contact with infected animals or the consumption of contaminated meat, and is not spread from person to person. The DVS said the disease can infect livestock and humans through direct contact with spores produced by the bacteria and can cause high mortality rates in livestock. It said the clinical signs of this disease in livestock include sudden death, high fever, weakness and lethargy, swelling in the infected area, especially in the neck, vomiting and diarrhoea and, in some cases, bleeding from the nose, mouth, or anus of the livestock. 'Malaysia has been free from anthrax since the last case reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in 1976. To date, there have been no reports of anthrax in the country,' it said. 'However, the disease is always active.' It said farmers should immediately report to the DVS if they notice any of the symptoms.
