PARAMARIBO, Suriname, Sept 21, CMC – Government has declared an outbreak of bird flu after more than 5,000 chickens at a poultry farm in Paramaribo died as a result of the disease.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (LVV) in confirming the outbreak said that it has immediately taken stringent measures to prevent further spread of the virus.
Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Minister, Mike Noersalim, said together with local and international partners, efforts are continuing to contain the spread of the virus and is calling on poultry farmers to be vigilant and to report high mortality among their poultry in a timely manner.
In a statement over the weekend, the ministry said that despite all precautionary measures, during this time of year, when daytime temperatures remain persistently high, mortality can increase, particularly among broiler chickens. It said increased mortality can have various causes, including heat stress and poultry diseases.
Noersalim said that every effort has been made to keep bird flu out of Suriname, noting that earlier this year, an import ban had been put into effect for hatching eggs and poultry products from Europe, where bird flu was prevalent at the time.
He said that inspections at Stolkertsijver in the Commewijne district commenced in August, given that many animal products are imported from the eastern part of the country.
The acting director of Veeteelt, Gerald Tjon, said a team of extension officers and the National Coordination Centre for Disaster Management ( NCCR) are investigating whether there were still infected chickens at the farm where the first report occurred.
Avian influenza is a virus primarily transmitted by migratory birds and during the press conference, it was stated that containment is necessary to prevent the virus from spreading unchecked and mutating.
Noersalim said he would be meeting with the poultry sector this coming week to discuss potential solutions.
One of the government’s policy intentions is to scale up local production. To date, 35 per cent of the demand for chicken is met by local producers, while the remaining 65 per cent is currently imported.
CMC/hg/ir/2026