President Felipe Calderon announced on Wednesday that the N7H3 bird flu outbreak in Jalisco has been “totally controlled,” with no new cases reported for 68 days.
Calderon said over 22 million chickens had been culled across Mexico since the epidemic began in Los Altos de Jalisco in June. The virus was identified in 24 of 58 farms sampled, leading the government to declare a national animal health emergency.
Jalisco is responsible for over 50 percent of egg production in Mexico and the avian flu outbreak caused a significant rise in the prices of chicken and eggs. Calderon said that 65 percent of egg production has been restored so far and that by November the number of laying hens should have recovered to the level prior to the outbreak.
Control of the epidemic is the result of “great effort of the government and producers,” Calderon boasted, adding that “around 140 million doses of vaccine have been applied, and we also have a sufficient reserve bank to use if necessary.”
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