Highly pathogenic avian influenza on three farms
In Germany, the highly pathogenic bird flu has broken out in three farms within a few days. According to the Thuringian Ministry of Health in Erfurt, one goose and ten ducks from a flock of 147 poultry in Greußen, Thuringia, had already died at the weekend. The chickens, however, showed no symptoms.
According to the ministry, all animals in the flock were killed as a precautionary measure. In addition, a protection zone with a radius of three kilometers and a surveillance zone with a radius of ten kilometers will be established.
In other parts of Germany, cases of highly pathogenic bird flu had already become known on farms on Wednesday. In one company in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, this led to the killing of tens of thousands of turkeys. A farm in the municipality of Lewitzrand with around 25,000 animals was affected, said a spokesman for the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim. In Lower Saxony, the highly contagious form of bird flu broke out on a poultry farm with around 50 animals, as the district of Cuxhaven announced on Wednesday. All the animals on the farm were killed.
Before these outbreaks, the highly pathogenic bird flu had last occurred on farms in Germany in July, according to a spokeswoman for the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, which is responsible for the entire country. "So there was a kind of summer break here."
Bird flu viruses were also detected in a Danish pheasant farm near the German border. Due to the risk of infection, all of the approximately 2,700 animals on the farm near Tønder were killed, the Veterinary and Food Administration announced.
Scientists are closely monitoring the outbreak of avian flu in various animal farms across Germany, as this strain can pose threats to both animal and human health. The recent cases of highly pathogenic bird flu have led to the culling of tens of thousands of turkeys and chickens as a preventive measure to stop the spread of the disease.
Source: www.dpa.com
