The health ministry has said that they will ensure the safety of chicken or poultry before importing from Brazil.
Brazil, the world's largest chicken exporter, declared a nationwide "animal health emergency" after confirming eight cases of avian flu in wild birds.
The 180-day measure was announced Monday night by the agriculture ministry. It said in a statement it aimed to "prevent [the virus] from spreading to domesticated birds and commercial poultry operations, as well as protect animals and human health."
Brazil is one of the largest chicken suppliers to the Maldives.
Health ministry media official Aminath Shathufa Shafeeu told Adhadhu that they will assure the safety of chicken before importing from Brazil.
“Chicken from Brazil will be inspected before importing. We have not yet decided to stop importing from Brazil,” she stated.
Last year, Brazil supplied around 35 percent of all poultry on the international market.
The current bird flu outbreak began in Canada in 2021, then spread to the United States and Latin America.
There is no treatment for the disease, which is often deadly in both wild and domesticated birds.
Avian influenza viruses do not typically infect humans, although there have been rare cases.
