Uruguay declared a nationwide health emergency on Friday after confirming highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza in backyard birds in the department of Colonia.
The country's Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries said the measure restricts the movement of backyard poultry and any birds not under the control of the national Poultry Monitoring System.
Backyard birds and those raised under the Free Range production system must now be kept in closed, roofed facilities, the ministry said. Poultry fairs, auctions, exhibitions and other bird-related events have also been suspended nationwide.
No birds at Expo Prado
The order will affect Expo Prado, Uruguay's leading agro-industrial and livestock fair, scheduled to run from Friday, September 11 to Sunday, September 20. The ministry said there will be no birds at this year's event because of the restrictions imposed under the health emergency.
Expo Prado is Uruguay's largest annual showcase for its agricultural and livestock sectors, typically drawing exhibitors and breeders from across the country.
Second emergency of 2026
This is the second time Uruguay has declared a health emergency over avian flu in 2026. The first was declared on February 24, after the virus was detected in wild fauna in the departments of Maldonado, Rocha and Canelones.
The first case in that earlier emergency was identified on February 20 in a coscoroba swan found near the Laguna Garzón, in the east of the country. Following that detection, the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries made it mandatory to keep backyard poultry in closed, roofed facilities.
Authorities also recommended that the public avoid handling sick or dead birds and report any such findings immediately to the relevant authorities.
The confirmation of that earlier case came exactly two years after Uruguay recorded the first case of avian influenza in the country's history.
The report was compiled with information from EFE.
