More than 582,000 Chickens Hit by Bird Flu Outbreak in Central Mexico Faine Greenwood - GlobalPost
go to original February 16, 2013

Mexico's nationwide flock amounts to 137 million birds. (EPA)

The Mexican government has announced that 582,000 chickens in the center of the state have been exposed to the bird flu virus, although it's currently unknown how many poultry will have to be slaughtered to control the spread of the ailment.

Authorities said that although the exact strain of the virus involved has yet to be determined, it does not affect humans, wrote the Associated Press.

The Mexican National Service of Health, Food Safety and Quality said that ill chickens were found in farms in Dolores Hidalgo and San Luis de la Paz, wrote the El Universal newspaper.

Health officials said that it's unlikely that this latest outbreak will affect the supply of poultry products for Mexican consumers, added El Universal.

Mexico was hit hard by a separate outbreak of the H7N3 bird flu virus in 2012, forcing the slaughter of millions of chickens, and the vaccination of millions more.

Due to the forced slaughter, Mexico experienced an acute egg shortage soon afterwards, as hoarding and price raises limited access.

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