Last Updated on Wednesday, 30 September 2026, 17:48 by Writer
Guyana is on high alert for bird flu (H5N1 avian influenza), following an outbreak in neighbouring Suriname where at least 5,000 chickens on a farm were killed by the virus and a remaining 1,000 culled, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha said Wednesday.
“We have a strong mechanism in place, a strong surveillance system. We have checks at various farms so we are working,” he told Demerara Waves Online News.
Demerara Waves Online News was reliably informed that the best method of controlling the virus is to cull and bury the infected birds under tightly controlled conditions.
Though word of the virus emerged two weeks ago in Suriname, Mr Mustapha said he on Wednesday learned officially of the presence of the disease from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) after Suriname informed that France-headquartered organisation.
The agriculture minister said the quarantine border controls were also conducting checks and a committee was also conducting regular checks.
Suriname’s ministry of agriculture said daily inspections were being conducted by the 20 extension officers who were interviewing poultry farmers and assessing farms.
The Times of Suriname reported that samples have been sent to a foreign laboratory through the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to determine the virus’s genetic origin, with results expected within weeks.
The full subtype has not yet been specified.
The deputy director of Suriname’s veterinary service, Gianna Karg, said it was important to determine whether a low-pathogenic or highly pathogenic variant of the avian influenza is involved.
The Suriname Herald reported that Ms Karg said a low-pathogenic variant can be closely monitored, whereas a high pathogenic variant can lead to high mortality among poultry and greater consequences for the food supply.
