Bird flu just beyond the Polish border. Experts are sounding the alarm

The H5N1 bird flu virus causes mass deaths in both farmed and wild birds in Germany. As reported, “the number of cases of the disease in the country is growing very rapidly.”

According to data from the non-governmental organization NABU, over 240,000 people have died in Germany. birds. On one farm in the southwestern federal states, about 15,000 were killed. chickens, and further outbreaks appear in northern regions. Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer announced that the authorities’ main goal is to “stop the further spread of the virus and protect agriculture.”

The most dramatic situation is in northern Brandenburg, where – according to the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) – thousands of cranes have died. Nearly a thousand dead birds were found in this region alone, with hundreds more in Thuringia and Mecklenburg. The FLI spokeswoman admitted that “no such large number of dead individuals has been recorded so far as this fall.”

The institute raised its assessment of the risk of new outbreaks from “low” to “high” and recommended the rapid removal of dead animals. Experts also call for keeping poultry indoors and limiting contact with wild birds.

Not only Germany. Bird flu also in Belgium and Slovakia

The H5N1 virus is also spreading outside Germany. In Slovakia, infections were confirmed on small farms in Twardoszyn and Galanta counties. All birds within a three-kilometer radius of the disease outbreak are to be killed and disposed of.

In Belgium, bird flu was detected on a turkey farm in the north of the country – 319 birds died and over 67,000 were infected. minted. Similar actions were taken in the Netherlands, where a herd of 161,000 was eliminated last week. chickens.

Experts warn that the ongoing bird migration season favors the rapid spread of the virus. Although – as FLI emphasizes – the risk of infection to humans is low, it is recommended to avoid contact with dead birds.