As of June 30, 2026, the Central American nation of Belize has activated a national high alert system to block a potential outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, following confirmed cases detected in its neighboring countries Honduras and Costa Rica.
The Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA), the country’s leading body overseeing agricultural and animal public health, has issued an official warning to both commercial poultry producers and the general public to maintain constant vigilance against the virus. To date, no local cases of avian influenza have been recorded in Belize, but public health and agricultural officials stress that the country faces significantly elevated risk of an incursion, driven by two key factors.
First, the regular seasonal movement of migratory wild birds across the Central American region creates a natural pathway for the virus to cross into Belize’s territory. Migratory waterfowl and wild birds are known primary carriers of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, often spreading the virus across international borders without detection along their migration routes.
Second, unregulated cross-border trade of poultry and poultry products exacerbates the risk. BAHA officials emphasize that persistent illegal imports of poultry from neighboring regions remain a major persistent threat to Belize’s biosecurity framework.
In response to the elevated risk, BAHA has rolled out a series of preventive guidance for stakeholders. Farmers are ordered to immediately strengthen on-farm biosecurity protocols, including restricted access to poultry facilities, enhanced disinfection routines, and隔离 measures to separate domestic flocks from wild bird populations. Members of the public and poultry workers are also instructed to report any sightings of sick or dead birds to BAHA without delay, to enable rapid testing and response that can contain a potential incursion before it spreads.
Officials warn that even a single confirmed outbreak within Belize’s borders could trigger devastating consequences for the country’s small but vital poultry industry, threatening food security and the livelihoods of thousands of people connected to poultry production and distribution.