Latest news with #WorldOrganisationforAnimalHealth
Canada Standard
3 days ago
- Health
- Canada Standard
Update on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's actions at an HPAI infected premise at a British Columbia ostrich farm
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Canada's national poultry sectors have been responding to detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Canada since December 2021. Industry has been highly supportive of the CFIA in its response to HPAI, working collaboratively to implement control measures and protect animal health. The CFIA has acted to minimize the risk of the virus spreading within Canadian flocks and to other animals. All avian influenza viruses, particularly H5 and H7 viruses, have the potential to infect mammals, including humans. Our disease response aims to protect public and animal health, minimize impacts on the domestic poultry industry, and the Canadian economy. The CFIA's response to highly pathogenic avian influenza in domestic poultry is based on an approach known as "stamping-out", as defined by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Terrestrial Animal Health Code. Stamping-out is the internationally recognized standard and is a primary tool to manage the spread of HPAI and mitigate risks to animal and human health as well as enable international trade. It includes steps to eliminate the virus from an infected premises, including the humane depopulation and disposal of infected animals, and disinfection of premises. There are ongoing risks to animal and human health and Canada's export market access Allowing a domestic poultry flock known to be exposed to HPAI to remain alive means a potential source of the virus persists. It increases the risk of reassortment or mutation of the virus, particularly with birds raised in open pasture where there is ongoing exposure to wildlife. CFIA's National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease (NCFAD) identified that the current HPAI infection in these ostriches is a novel reassortment not seen elsewhere in Canada. This assortment includes the D1.3 genotype, which has been associated with a human infection in a poultry worker in Ohio. A human case of H5N1 in BC earlier this year required critical care, and an extended hospital stay for the patient, and there have been a number of human cases in the United States, including a fatality. Stamping-out and primary control zones enable international trade as it allows Canada to contain outbreaks within a specific area, meet the requirements of zoning arrangements with trading partners, and permit Canada's poultry industry to export from disease-free regions. Continued export market access supports Canadian families and poultry farmers whose livelihoods depend on maintaining international market access for $1.75 billion in exports. Current status of the infected premise at Universal Ostrich Farm Universal Ostrich Farm has not cooperated with the requirements set out under the Health of Animals Act including failure to report the initial cases of illness and deaths to the CFIA and failure to adhere to quarantine orders. Universal Ostrich Farm was issued two notices of violations with penalty, totaling $20,000. The farm also failed to undertake appropriate biosecurity risk mitigation measures such as limiting wild bird access to the ostriches, controlling water flow from the quarantine zone to other parts of the farm, or improving fencing. These actions significantly increase the risk of disease transmission and reflect a disregard for regulatory compliance and animal health standards. Universal Ostrich Farm has not substantiated their claims of scientific research. CFIA has not received any evidence of scientific research being done at the infected premises. Research documentation was not provided during the review of their request for exemption from the disposal order based on unique genetics or during the judicial review process. Further, the current physical facilities at their location are not suitable for controlled research activities or trials. On May 13, 2025, the Federal court dismissed both of Universal Ostrich Farm's applications for judicial review. The interlocutory injunction pausing the implementation of the disposal order was also vacated. Following the May 13 court ruling, the farm owners and supporters have been at the farm in an apparent attempt to prevent the CFIA from carrying out its operations at the infected premises. This has delayed a timely and appropriate response to the HPAI infected premises, resulting in ongoing health risks to animals and humans. CFIA's next steps at the infected premises Given that the flock has had multiple laboratory-confirmed cases of H5N1 and the ongoing serious risks for animal and human health, and trade, the CFIA continues planning for humane depopulation with veterinary oversight at the infected premises. The CFIA takes the responsibility to protect the health of animals and Canadians extremely seriously as we conduct these necessary disease control measures to protect public health and minimize the economic impact on Canada's poultry industry. For more detailed information on the CFIA's continued response to HPAI at this infected premises, please visit our website.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Brazil declared free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, says Abrafrigo
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has recognized Brazil as a country free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, Brazilian beef lobby Abrafrigo said in a statement on Thursday. Brazil is the world's top beef exporter and the certificate could contribute to opening new markets. This is the first time that the country has achieved this level of excellence in its sanitary controls, according to Abrafrigo. The lobby, which represents some of the largest Brazilian meatpackers such as Marfrig, said the recognition was a "historic moment for the beef agro-industrial chain." "The new status also brings new challenges and responsibilities for all actors involved, with the aim of maintaining the herd in adequate sanitary conditions and increasingly strengthening the country's role as a major producer and supplier of animal-origin food for Brazil and the world," it added. The Brazilian Agriculture Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Star
5 days ago
- Health
- The Star
Brazil declared free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, says Abrafrigo
FILE PHOTO: A herd of cattle is seen in the city of Tailandia in the state of Para, Brazil March 17, 2020. Reuters/Pilar Olivares/File Photo SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has recognized Brazil as a country free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, Brazilian beef lobby Abrafrigo said in a statement on Thursday. Brazil is the world's top beef exporter and the certificate could contribute to opening new markets. This is the first time that the country has achieved this level of excellence in its sanitary controls, according to Abrafrigo. The lobby, which represents some of the largest Brazilian meatpackers such as Marfrig, said the recognition was a "historic moment for the beef agro-industrial chain." "The new status also brings new challenges and responsibilities for all actors involved, with the aim of maintaining the herd in adequate sanitary conditions and increasingly strengthening the country's role as a major producer and supplier of animal-origin food for Brazil and the world," it added. The Brazilian Agriculture Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Ana Mano; Writing by Isabel Teles; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Tomasz Janowski)
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
US likely to resume Mexican cattle imports by year end, USDA chief veterinarian says
By Sybille de La Hamaide PARIS (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.
The Star
24-05-2025
- Health
- The Star
Bird flu outbreaks in mammals double, raising human risk, says report
SOUTH-EAST ASIA (AFP): Outbreaks of bird flu in mammals more than doubled across the world last year, raising the risk that the virus could potentially spread between humans, an international agency warned on Friday. Avian influenza has spread across the world like never before in the last few years, leading to the mass culling of poultry, sending egg prices soaring and causing the deaths of several people in contact with infected animals. While the overall risk of human infection remains low, bird flu outbreaks among mammals such as cattle, dogs and cats increase the possibility that the virus could eventually adapt to transmit between humans, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said in a new report. The number of mammal outbreaks soared to 1,022 across 55 countries last year, compared to 459 in 2023, according to the Paris-based agency, which monitors animal diseases worldwide. "It is concerning because it is a change in the pattern of the epidemiology of the virus," WOAH's director general Emmanuelle Soubeyran told AFP. Health experts have been sounding the alarm about the potential pandemic threat posed by bird flu, which has shown signs of mutating as it spreads in particular among dairy cows in the United States. The new report comes as the budgets of US health and science agencies have been slashed by the Trump administration. This included the sacking earlier this year of the staff of an epidemiology programme known as the "disease detectives". - 'Global emergency' - Bird flu "is more than an animal health crisis -- it is a global emergency destabilising agriculture, food security, trade and ecosystems," the report warned. More than 630 million birds have either died from avian influenza or been culled due to it over the last two decades, according to the agency's first annual State of the World's Animal Health report. Wild birds have also suffered mass die-offs, although the exact number is difficult to estimate. The report highlighted the role that vaccination can play in stemming outbreaks among birds -- which in turn decreases the risk to mammals and humans. It cited the example of France, which started vaccinating poultry ducks against bird flu in 2023. Modelling from the Toulouse Veterinary School estimated there would be 700 outbreaks in France that year. In the end, there were just 10, the report said. Soubeyran said this was a "win-win" because it reduced exposure to humans -- and meant there were more poultry products available for export. However, she emphasised that vaccines were not a "magic wand" and did not suit every situation. Biosecurity, surveillance, increased transparency and global collaboration are also important tools to fight off the threat of bird flu, Soubeyran added, calling for more investment in these areas. - Antibiotic use falls - Last month Mexico reported its first human death from bird flu, a three-year-old girl. The US recorded its first death in January, while there have been two deaths in Cambodia this year. Nearly 50 percent of bird flu infections have historically proved fatal, according to the World Health Organization. It says the human cases detected so far are mostly linked to people who had close contact with infected birds and other animals, or contaminated environments. The WOAH report also warned more broadly about the rising danger of animal diseases crossing over into humans as climate change pushes species into new areas. Nearly 70 percent of the emerging diseases notified to the agency over the last 20 years were considered to have the potential to pose a threat to human health, it said. Another danger is the increasing resistance some diseases are having to antibiotics, which is "one of the greatest threats to global health, food security and economic stability", the report said. In positive news, use of antibiotics in animals fell by five percent between 2020 and 2022. Europe saw the biggest decline -- 23 percent, it added, calling for further reductions. - AFP
