Guatemala Alert over Mexico Bird Flu
Guatemalan authorities once again have asked agricultural and livestock growers to remain alert to prevent bird flu from spreading, after an outbreak was registered in Mexico.

About 300 poultry were culled in localities in Chiapas, very near Guatemala, when a low-risk bird flu strain, non transmissible to other species, was discovered.

Mexico´s Health Secretariat informed it is the H5N2 strain of the bird flu virus, which is different from the one that has already claimed several human deaths in Asia and eastern Europe.

However, the virus represents jeopardy for the region´s poultry production, a reason why the Guatemala Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Ministry called for constant vigilance to detect any possible symptoms of the disease.

There is increasing concern about the hundreds of non controlled crossings along the border with Mexico, through which a considerable amount of eggs and fowl are smuggled.