Bird flu Poland not contained

The highly pathogenic avian flu virus that was diagnosed on new years eve at a poultry farm in Poland appears to be spreading.

In the East of the country, which borders both Belarus and Ukraine, 7 outbreaks of highly pathogenic bird flu (HPAI) have now been confirmed. On top of that Polish poultry organisation Kipdip states that HPAI was also found on a laying poultry farm in the western province of Wielkopolska.

At this time it is still unknown whether the virus type is the same in all reported cases. Until now, only the first outbreak has been officially listed on the website of World Animal Health Organization OIE. The first outbreak was of the H5N8 type. According to the Reuters international news agency, the infected company in western Poland is also thought to have H5N8.

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Prevent virus spread

Polish authorities are now focusing on preventing the spread of viruses outside the zones, as established around infected farms. Poland has a large poultry sector, and in particular in the Lubartow district (where 5 outbreaks were recorded). Within Europe, Poland is by far the largest producer of poultry meat and also a significant producer of eggs.