Newcastle disease confirmed in wild birds across four Azores islands

Newcastle disease has been laboratory-confirmed in wild birds across four islands in the Azores: São Miguel, Terceira, Graciosa, and Pico. The affected species include rock doves and Eurasian collared doves.

Luís Estrela, the regional director of Agriculture, Veterinary and Food, stated that there are currently no confirmed outbreaks in commercial poultry farms. While symptoms have been observed in wild birds on six islands, laboratory confirmation has only been secured for the four mentioned above. The regional government is awaiting further results from the National Institute for Agrarian and Veterinary Research (INIAV) and has acquired diagnostic kits to perform local testing.

Regarding food safety, authorities emphasize that consuming properly cooked poultry meat and eggs does not pose a significant risk to humans. The primary danger lies in direct contact with infected wild birds. Human infection is considered rare and typically occurs through unprotected contact with sick or dead animals, often manifesting as mild symptoms such as conjunctivitis.