Outbreak of Avian Flu in Germany
Avian flu has struck the north-German province of Brandenburg.
The state Ministry of Agriculture announced on Saturday that six chickens on a farm owned by a hobby poultry breeder had been identified as being infected with the H5N1 strain of the virus, which is also dangerous for humans.
A 3km protection zone around the area of Oberhavel has been set-up. The outbreak has not been officially reported to all EU member states yet as it must be formally identified by the Friedrich Loeffler Institut, the German federal institute for animal health.
It is been investigated as to how the virus reached Brandenburg. Early reports suggest that it may have spread from Poland, which has recently experienced an outbreak of avian flu.
According to the PPE, Dutch advisory organisation for poultry health, it is worrying that the infection has spread to “our neighbours’ border. This constitutes a reason for Dutch poultry owners to take even stricter hygiene precautions“.
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