Avian influenza and its impact on poultry farming in Ecuador

Abstract

Introduction: Avian Influenza is a disease of high health impact in the poultry industry due to pathogenicity in poultry and wild birds in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America, recently the disease has entered new countries in Central and South America. For the first time, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, and Chile. This disease is a global threat to animal health and food safety. Although avian influenza affects domestic and wild birds, it can occasionally be transmitted to humans. To date, naturally occurring highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses that cause acute clinical illness in economically important chickens, turkeys and other birds have been associated only with H5 and H7 subtypes. Objectives: to understand the nature, ecology, evolution, and impact of this disease on the poultry industry. Methodology: bibliographic review of literature seeks to gather and summarize scientific, updated, and specific information about the sanitary situation on avian influenza in Ecuador. Results:  the Avian Influenza Type A virus persists in Latin America since 2001, even before, to date, its arrival in the continent is currently a subject of discussion; it is presumed that the main route of entry is through the transboundary movement of live birds, either by natural migration or by legal or illegal trade. Conclusions: the current health situation of avian influenza in Ecuador is controlled, the impact that this disease has caused has not been as high as in other Latin American countries. General area of study: Veterinary Medicine. Specific area of study: Infectious Diseases.