In the city of Talca, in Chile, a university was closed due to possible cases of bird flu at its facilities, after several dead birds were found in its botanical garden.
Through a statement, the University of Talca reported that specialists from the Agricultural and Livestock Service visited the spaces to take samples and that the results will be ready within 48 to 72 hours, international media reported.
The institution will be closed until April 16, with all classes and face-to-face administrative activities suspended.
The first case of bird flu in the country was detected in the north last December, and since then it has spread to the south, where a week ago they found a bird with the flu.
Despite the fact that it is a disease that mainly affects wild birds and some species of mammals, such as sea lions, transmission to humans who have contact with sick animals or their remains is possible.
The Chilean Ministry of Health notified a case of a person with bird flu at the end of March, a 53-year-old man who was infected in the north and developed a serious condition, although he did not infect anyone around him.
Health authorities recommend not approaching dead birds and animals or behaviors suspected of being infected with avian influenza, especially in coastal areas, to prevent new infections in humans.
The first human case reported in Latin America was registered in Ecuador in January of this year, in a 9-year-old girl residing in a rural area of the province of Bolívar.
