The government of Brazil announced yesterday that it will issue R$ 200 million in funds (US$ 40.74 million) to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock to support efforts to combat High Pathogenic avian influenza, according to a government-issued press release.

With the zoosanitary state of emergency in force in the country and the confirmation of cases of avian influenza in wild birds in four states, the actions to control and contain the disease will be intensified. The extraordinary credit will be applied in the Unified System of Attention to Agricultural Health (Suasa). 

"The fight against avian flu is an issue that deserves everyone's attention, because the advance of the disease could impact various sectors of the country," said Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Fávaro. "Therefore, this measure of President Lula and the work we are doing together with the ministries of Health and Environment and Climate Change, Ibama and Civil Defense, in addition to the state agencies, will give us more security to face this crisis without major risks."

Among the actions to control and combat avian influenza are the rapid identification, testing and healthcare of suspected cases. For this, the technical teams will be able to count on reinforcement for the punctual actions in loco.

Brazil remains free of avian influenza in commercial operations and maintains its status of avian influenza-free status, according to the World Organization for Animal Health.