Following recent reports of free-living birds yielding H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza, the latest ProMED report documented the recovery of the pathogen in Santa Vitoria do Palmar in the state of Rio Grande do Sul from migratory black-necked swans.  This is a significant event, given the concentration of poultry in the state that produces close to 15 percent of all broiler production and is responsible for thirty percent of Brazil’s exports.  The state of Espírito Santo where terns were diagnosed with HPAI, has a small broiler population but is a major producer of eggs.

It is understood but not yet confirmed that a fourth state in Brazil has diagnosed avian influenza in free-living birds.