WOAH considers Brazil bird flu outbreak on commercial farm resolved

SAO PAULO, June 20 (Reuters) - The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) considers a bird flu outbreak on a commercial farm in Brazil as "resolved," a page detailing the case on WOAH's website showed on Friday.
Earlier this week, Brazil, the world's largest poultry exporter, declared itself free of bird flu in commercial flocks after observing a 28-day period without any new commercial farm outbreaks.

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Reuters

7 hours ago

• Reuters

WOAH considers Brazil bird flu outbreak on commercial farm resolved

SAO PAULO, June 20 (Reuters) - The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) considers a bird flu outbreak on a commercial farm in Brazil as "resolved," a page detailing the case on WOAH's website showed on Friday. Earlier this week, Brazil, the world's largest poultry exporter, declared itself free of bird flu in commercial flocks after observing a 28-day period without any new commercial farm outbreaks.

Reuters

10 hours ago

• Reuters

Exclusive: USDA develops potential plan to vaccinate poultry for bird flu

CHICAGO, June 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering a potential plan to vaccinate poultry against bird flu for the first time that includes evaluating how it would affect exports, the agency told Reuters this week. The actions advance the government's assessment of a vaccine after the USDA received proposals on usage from associations representing egg and turkey producers whose farms have been devastated by the virus. Nearly 175 million chickens, turkeys and other birds have been culled in attempts to contain outbreaks since 2022 in the nation's worst animal-health emergency. Losses of egg-laying chickens drove egg prices to records this year, prompting grocers to ration supplies, restaurants to hike prices, and food manufacturers to increase imports from countries including Turkey, Brazil and South Korea. The USDA pledged to spend up to $100 million on research into vaccines and other therapies to combat bird flu after prices spiked. Now, USDA and industry officials are pursuing a more solid, written plan to potentially show importers to gauge whether vaccinations would limit trading. Industry members expect the agency to complete the plan in July. The USDA said this week that it is working with federal, state and industry officials to develop its potential plan and is engaging with trading partners. "You need a more complete strategy and plan for them to consider," said Dr. John Clifford, a former USDA chief veterinary officer who advises the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council. Debates over potential vaccinations have pitted poultry producers against each other since widespread outbreaks in 2015. Many egg and turkey farmers said they need vaccines to help protect flocks. But government officials and companies that produce chicken meat have worried that inoculations risk all types of U.S. poultry exports, if countries impose broad bans over concerns that a vaccine might mask the presence of the virus in flocks. It would be devastating to chicken meat producers if importers halted trading, Clifford said. Such producers rely more heavily on exports than egg and turkey farmers, and they have not been hit as hard by the virus. The USDA has spent more than $1 billion, opens new tab compensating farmers for culled flocks, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association, increasing costs for the epidemic. "We can't continue to operate the way we are today," said Dr. Craig Rowles, a vice president at egg company Versova. Major losses of egg-laying hens prompted the United Egg Producers industry group to begin work on its own proposal in January, representatives said. It asked four longtime veterinarians, including Clifford and Rowles, to work on a plan it submitted to the USDA. Their plan suggested an initial vaccination for baby chicks, followed by a booster shot and then testing of flocks every few weeks, Rowles said. Vaccinations would make chickens less susceptible to infections, while routine testing would increase monitoring for outbreaks, he said. Flocks that test positive would still be culled under the proposal, Rowles said, adding that such cullings would likely be important to importers seeking to avoid the virus. The National Chicken Council, which represents chicken meat companies, said it does not object to the USDA moving ahead with a vaccine if producers can maintain exports. The council had warned, opens new tab in February that vaccinations of any poultry birds, such as laying hens, would jeopardize exports of all U.S. poultry products. Glenn Hickman, president of egg producer Hickman's Family Farms, blamed the chicken meat industry for opposing vaccinations that could help save his flocks. The virus has decimated about 6 million of his birds since May, or 95% of his production in Arizona. "Let me protect my chickens," Hickman said.

The Independent

15 hours ago

• The Independent

The simple test that could predict how long you will live

A new study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology explored whether a simple sitting-rising test could predict premature deaths. Researchers tested 4,282 adults aged 46-75 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 1998 to 2023, to evaluate non-aerobic physical fitness, including muscle strength, flexibility, and balance. The test required participants to sit and rise from the floor without using support from hands, elbows, or knees, with points deducted for any assistance or loss of balance. The study concluded that non-aerobic physical fitness, as assessed by this test, was a significant predictor of natural and cardiovascular mortality. After about 12 years, participants with a perfect 10 score had a 3.7 per cent death rate, while those scoring 0-4 points showed a dramatically higher death rate of 42.1 per cent.