SAO PAULO, Brazil — Brazil is the biggest chicken exporter in the world, which means it sells a lot of chickens to other countries. But recently, some chickens got sick with something called bird flu on a farm in a town called Montenegro in southern Brazil.
Bird flu is a disease that can make birds very sick, and it can spread quickly if not stopped. Because of this, some countries, like the Philippines, stopped buying chickens from Brazil to keep their own birds safe.
On Thursday, Brazil started a very important 28-day wait. During these 28 days, people in charge will watch very closely to see if any new chickens get sick from bird flu on farms across the country.
Before starting the wait, workers cleaned and disinfected the farm where the first bird flu was found. Cleaning means they got rid of all the germs so the disease wouldn’t spread.
A lady named Rosane Collares, who helps look after farms in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, said, “It is under control, and we don’t see any new bird flu cases.” But she said they must keep watching because the bird flu virus can hide inside birds for up to two weeks before showing signs.
If no new chickens get sick during these 28 days, Brazil can say it’s free of bird flu and safe again.
The boss in charge of farms, Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro, said, “We are making sure everything is super safe and protected.”
Right now, there are 11 places where people are still checking if birds are sick with bird flu, but some tests are already saying no bird flu was found in certain places.
An expert named Wagner Yanaguizawa said the next few days are very important. If after 28 days no new bird flu appears, Brazil can say it beat the disease and hopefully, countries that stopped buying chickens will start buying again.
This is good news for farmers, workers, and everyone who loves chicken because it means the chickens will be healthy and safe to eat.
