Shortly after Mexico reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) that its H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) situation had been resolved, the presence of the virus was confirmed in a backyard flock in Temascalcingo, Mexico.
According to a WOAH report, published on August 17, birds on the farm, which has no links to commercial poultry farms, had been exhibiting symptoms consistent with HPAI, including yellowish white diarrhea, ruffled feathers, nasal discharge, difficulty for breathing and incoordination. Also, 14 of 80 susceptible birds had died.
The situation was reported on July 26, just four days after Mexico was declared free of H5N1.
Samples from the birds were sent to the official National Service of Health, Safety and Food Quality (SENASICA) laboratory, in which 20 of the susceptible birds were confirmed to have contracted the virus.
According to WOAH, the nearest commercial poultry operation to this farm is 12 kilometers away.
The premises has been quarantined, and surveillance inside and within the restricted zone has begun. Protective measures to be applied include stamping out, disinfection, and official disposal of carcasses, byproducts and waste.
Mexico has not had a case of HPAI in a commercial poultry flock since October 2023.
View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation.
To learn more about HPAI cases in commercial poultry flocks in the United States, Mexico and Canada, see an interactive map on WATTPoultry.com. That map does not include cases of HPAI in backyard poultry, such as the Temascalcingo flock.
