{"id":522046,"date":"2026-08-19T14:35:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T18:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/uncategorized\/avian-flu-in-el-salvador-is-it-dangerous-to-eat-chicken-infectious-disease-specialist-clarifies-doubts\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T14:35:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T18:35:02","slug":"avian-flu-in-el-salvador-is-it-dangerous-to-eat-chicken-infectious-disease-specialist-clarifies-doubts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/international\/avian-flu-in-el-salvador-is-it-dangerous-to-eat-chicken-infectious-disease-specialist-clarifies-doubts\/","title":{"rendered":"Avian flu in El Salvador, is it dangerous to eat chicken? infectious disease specialist clarifies doubts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The recent declaration of a health alert for bird flu<\/strong> in El Salvador<\/strong> has sparked concern regarding the risks to the population’s health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities and specialists warn that the disease, although it mainly affects birds, can have consequences for human health if direct transmission occurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might be interested in:<\/strong> Public Health will maintain vaccination schedule in DR despite changes announced in the U.S.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG)<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0established the alert following the increase in outbreaks in America and a history of transmission to people in neighboring countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avian influenza<\/strong>, also known as bird flu<\/strong>, is an infection caused by type A influenza<\/strong> viruses that regularly circulate among wild and poultry birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The World Health Organization (WHO)<\/strong> emphasizes that people can become infected through direct contact with sick animals<\/strong>, especially during the handling, slaughter, or processing of birds or when exposed to environments contaminated by these animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indirect contact, for example with contaminated surfaces<\/strong> or materials, also represents a risk of transmission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infectious disease specialist, Jorge Paname\u00f1o,<\/strong> explained in an interview with YSUCA<\/strong> that, although bird flu does not currently pose a direct threat to human public health in the country, there is a real risk of contagion for those who work in poultry production.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs of today, it is not a direct threat to human public health, but it is a serious problem that threatens workers employed in poultry production<\/strong>,\u201d noted Paname\u00f1o.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the WHO, symptoms in humans can range from fever, muscle pain, and cough to acute respiratory conditions, and even death in severe cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avian influenza<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Asymptomatic infections have also been reported. The international body clarifies that, so far, avian influenza viruses have not shown sustained human-to-human transmission, although sporadic cases have been documented in workers exposed to infected birds internationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

El Salvador <\/strong>maintains an active preventive zoosanitary alert, based on the expansion of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)<\/strong> on the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since October 2025, outbreaks have been reported in countries such as the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Honduras, Costa Rica<\/strong>, and Colombia<\/strong>. Salvadoran authorities have reinforced surveillance on farms and in markets, in addition to increasing controls at border points to prevent the entry of the virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Panamanian<\/strong> warned that, if an outbreak occurs in poultry, the risk of transmission to people increases. \u201cThe main danger lies in the possible exposure of those who handle infected birds<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the disease were to spread, mass culling of birds could be necessary,\u201d the specialist explained. This would not only pose a challenge for the health sector, but it would also impact the availability of poultry-based food products<\/strong>, such as meat and eggs, in the national market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WHO<\/strong> insists on the importance of maintaining strict epidemiological surveillance in animals and humans, as well as a rapid response to any detected outbreak. Recent experiences in other countries have shown that the virus can even affect mammals, such as cattle,<\/strong> which increases the need for comprehensive health controls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salvadoran authorities recommend that the population stay informed about official measures and be alert to any symptoms compatible with avian flu, especially in people with frequent contact with birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The health alert declared in El Salvador due to avian influenza<\/strong> seeks to strengthen surveillance in the face of outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in various countries on the continent. Although the virus mainly affects birds, authorities are paying special attention to people who work on farms, in markets, and in other activities where there is direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specialists point out that the risk to the general population remains limited, as avian influenza viruses have not shown sustained human-to-human transmission. However, they warn that an eventual spread among poultry could increase human exposure and generate both health and economic impacts, especially due to the need to cull infected animals and its potential effects on the production and availability of chicken meat and eggs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The recent declaration of a health alert for bird flu in El Salvador has sparked concern regarding the risks to the population’s health. Authorities and specialists warn that the disease, although it mainly affects birds, can have consequences for human health if direct transmission occurs. You might be interested in: Public Health will maintain vaccination […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":522047,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[95],"tags":[13759,40265],"class_list":["post-522046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international","tag-el-salvador","tag-public-ministry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phj1q1-2bO6","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/M3BBQ7BX2ZGTVEXWVYSJCYVAWM.avif","dum_api":{"author_name":"Redacci\u00f3n De \u00daltimo Minuto","author_image":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/cropped-logo-de-ultimo-minuto-96x96.png","categories_name":["International"],"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cdn.deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/M3BBQ7BX2ZGTVEXWVYSJCYVAWM.avif"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=522046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/522047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=522046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=522046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=522046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}