Seminar on avian influenza strengthens the sector’s integrated health response

On March 17, Carolina Larraín, Head of Poultry Health at ChileCarne, participated in the seminar “Avian Influenza in Chile 2026,” held at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. The purpose of the event was to gain a deeper understanding of the current health landscape and to move toward an integrated response based on scientific evidence, disease surveillance, and cross-sector coordination under the One Health approach, which encourages collaboration between human, animal, and environmental health.
The event brought together representatives from the public sector, academia, and industry, who discussed the epidemiological status of the disease, progress in genomic surveillance, and the main challenges posed by its spread. It was agreed that avian influenza is a complex health challenge that calls for coordinated responses focused on early detection and backed by solid data.
At the seminar, Carolina Larraín participated in the roundtable discussion “From Surveillance to Preparedness: Challenges and Opportunities for an Integrated Response to Avian Influenza,” alongside representatives from the Agricultural and Livestock Service, ChileHuevos, and the Ministry of Health. The discussion was an opportunity to explore tools and strategies designed to strengthen early detection and timely risk management, stressing the importance of effective coordination among different stakeholders.
Carolina Larraín emphasized that biosecurity is a cross-cutting priority in the fight against avian influenza, both because of its role in preventing and controlling outbreaks and because of its impact on the country’s production continuity and public health. She also highlighted the importance of fostering a culture of prevention at the local level, with the ability to anticipate and respond promptly, given that quickly containing potential outbreaks is key to mitigating their health and economic impacts.