Guatemala on alert following bird flu outbreak in Mexico

GUATEMALA CITY -– Guatemala’s agriculture vice minister, Mario Marcucci, announced that his country is increasing vigilance along the border with Mexico to prevent the outbreak of bird flu.

The Mexican government last week declared an emergency alert following the outbreak, caused by the H7N3 virus, which does not affect humans, officials said. So far, more than 2.5 million chickens have been infected in Mexico, and one million birds died or were euthanized.

The outbreak was detected on June 20 on a farm in the state of Jalisco, the region that leads Mexico’s egg production.