PARIS, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Bolivia has reported two outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, for the first time, as the virus spreads in Latin America after wiping out tens of millions of birds in Europe and the United States.
The spread of the highly contagious virus is a concern for governments and the poultry industry as it disrupts supply, fuels food prices and poses a risk of transmission to humans.
One outbreak was found on a laying-hen farm with 35,000 birds in the town of Sacaba, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Tuesday, quoting information from Bolivia's health authorities.
Another was found in a backyard with 202 birds for domestic consumption, including ducks, geese and chickens, in the town of Quillacollo, the Paris-based organisation said.
Elsewhere in Latin America, outbreaks of highly pathogenic bird flu have been found among poultry in Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador. (Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide, editing by Gus Trompiz and Bernadette Baum)
