Brazil's vast and diverse geography, with the Amazon to the north, mountain ranges along the Atlantic coast and the Andes to its west, may have helped it avoid the U.S. fate of widespread bird flu among commercial poultry flocks by keeping migratory birds away from farms in the country's interior.
Wednesday marks more than a month without a new bird flu case on a commercial poultry farm in Brazil, ending an observation period after its first such outbreak. The success brings hope to farmers that there will be no repeat of the persistent infections in the U.S., where the virus devastated the domestic egg industry and triggered lasting trade bans.
There are doubts, however, whether the landscape can offer long-term protection.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.