Uruguay is once again in a health emergency due to avian influenza. The General Directorate of Livestock Services (DGSG) declared this Friday September 4 the emergency throughout the national territory after confirming the presence of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza in backyard birds in the department of Colonia. The decision activates restrictions on the movement and concentration of birds to try to prevent the virus from reaching commercial farms.
The outbreak was detected after authorities received a health suspicion due to the death of birds of different species. A first rapid test had returned negative, but the samples were sent to the official laboratory and subsequent analyses confirmed the presence of the virus. Livestock Services are now working in the affected establishment and its surroundings to try to determine the origin of the episode and check if there are connections with other properties.
What the health emergency implies
The resolution restricts throughout Uruguay the movements of backyard birds and those that are not controlled through the Avian Monitoring System. The birds included in that system will be able to continue moving under their usual sanitary control mechanisms.
In addition, backyard birds and those belonging to Free Range production systems must remain in closed and roofed facilities. Fairs, auctions, exhibitions, and any other events related to birds are also suspended while the measures remain in effect. Non-compliance may result in the penalties provided for in Uruguayan legislation.
In the affected establishment, authorities have ordered the prohibition of the property, sanitary slaughter, and safe disposal of exposed birds, along with cleaning and disinfection work. A tracing of movements, entries, and contacts recorded during the previous weeks is also being carried out, and epidemiological surveillance in the area has been reinforced.
There are no cases in commercial birds
One of the relevant data is that, up to the last official report, the outbreak is limited to backyard birds and no cases have been detected in commercial poultry production. The Ministry of Livestock has also insisted that the consumption of chicken meat and eggs does not pose a risk to human health in relation to this episode.
The MGAP works in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health, which monitors individuals who may have been directly exposed to the birds of the affected establishment. Uruguayan authorities remind that avian influenza is not easily transmitted to humans, although they recommend not handling sick or dead birds and reporting any suspicious findings to veterinary services.
Uruguay had already lifted another emergency in April
The new episode comes a few months after Uruguay declared a previous emergency closed. In February 2026, cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza had been detected in wild birds, including specimens located in Laguna Garzón and Canelones. After more than 54 days without evidence of virus circulation, the DGSG lifted that health emergency at the end of April.
The difference now is that the detection has occurred in backyard domestic birds, which has led authorities to immediately reinstate national restrictions to reduce the risk of spread to other farms.
Reinforced surveillance throughout the country
The investigation must now determine how the virus reached the establishment in Colonia and whether there are other related outbreaks. Meanwhile, the Government urges producers and bird owners to intensify biosecurity measures, especially to prevent contact between domestic birds and wild specimens.
Among the symptoms that should raise an alert are sudden mortality, respiratory difficulties, swelling of the head, bluish coloration of combs or legs, diarrhea, nervous signs, or a sharp reduction in egg laying. Any suspicion must be reported to Livestock Services.
The health emergency has national scope, but does not mean that there is a widespread outbreak on Uruguayan farms or a human health emergency. For now, there is a confirmed outbreak in backyard birds in Colonia and no detection in commercial birds. The priority of the authorities is precisely to keep it contained and prevent the virus from spreading to the country's poultry industry.