According to information received on March 10 at the OIE by the Animal Health Office of the National Service of Health, Safety and Agri-Food Quality (Senasica, in Spanish) of Mexico, the H7N3 highly pathogenic avian flu events started on February 12, eight months after the last onset of the disease.
The two breakouts are located in San Felipe, Guanajuato, and in Cadereyta de Montes, Querétaro. Both have been resolved. The first affected 1,400 Rhode Island hens and 500 white hens of approximately 80 weeks old, and was resolved on February 20. The second event was in 26 backyard birds, whose clinical signs were conjunctivitis, watery diarrhea and sudden death, and it was resolved on February 23.
According to the information, the 500 affected hens of the first outbreak allegedly came from the state of Jalisco, from a farm with vaccinated birds, which was verified by serology. It is presumed that this introduction affected susceptible birds.
The clinical diagnosis was based on advanced laboratory tests, such as virology, electron microscopy, molecular biology and immunology. In total, there are 1,387 dead birds and 539 were eliminated. There was an apparent mortality rate of 72.01 percent.
The OIE report says that in both cases measures to control the epidemic were implemented, such as the quarantine of the premises and the killing of all the birds; and for prevention, a focal zone and a perifocal zone of three and ten kilometers respectively were implemented, where the absence of the disease has been verified. The national veterinary service will continue with epidemiological surveillance and inform the OIE of any event.
So far in March, outbreaks of avian flu of various pathogenic levels have been reported to the OIE not only in Mexico, but also in Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Iraq, Italy, France and the United States.
