Lower Saxony Second bird flu case determined

Lower Saxony: Second bird flu case proven

22/12/2014

In Lower Saxony, the dangerous bird flu virus was detected for the second time within a week. The state is considered the stronghold of German poultry farming. Previously, bird flu cases from other areas were also known.

Suspected case in the district of Emsland confirmed
Last week in the district of Cloppenburg the avian influenza H5N8 was detected. As reported by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, the district has subsequently imposed a so-called reloading ban on poultry houses within a certain area in order to achieve a thinning out of the high population density and thus to prevent further disease carry-over. At the weekend, a message from the news agency dpa has now confirmed a suspected case in the district of Emsland.

Second bird flu case in Lower Saxony
According to information from the Ministry of Agriculture in Hanover, the second bird flu case in Lower Saxony occurred on a duck farm in the northern district of Emsland. Around 10,000 animals were to be killed in the yard. As the dpa reports, 18 other poultry farms were closed within three kilometers with 170,000 animals. Over a ten-kilometer radius, over 200 companies with a total of around four million animals were subjected to increased observation. In the district of Cloppenburg, where the first H5N8 pathogen was detected in Lower Saxony last week, there was now reason to breathe easy. A spokesman for the ministry said that no abnormalities were detected on any of the approximately 60 farms in the vicinity of the affected facility in Barßel.

Virus detected in dead wild bird
Also in Saxony-Anhalt, the virus was detected in a dead wild bird, which had been found two weeks ago on the Elbe. According to the information, the mallard was found dead on December 7 by a veterinarian in Aken on the Elbe in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld. Experts from the Friedrich Loeffler Institute in Riems (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) now detected the virus H5N8 in the animal. This is the first known case with these pathogens in Saxony-Anhalt. However, experts gave the all-clear after examining other animals on three farms in the area. A spokesman for the Department of Agriculture said on Sunday that no suspected cases had been reported to any of the poultry farmers. However, further checks will be carried out in the coming days.

Transfer can not be completely ruled out
Until recently, the virus subtype H5N8 only appeared in Asia. So far there is no indication as to whether the pathogen poses a danger to humans, but according to experts, transmission can never be completely ruled out. Particularly dangerous in recent years, the pathogen H7N9 and H5N1 have proven. In infected people, symptoms of avian influenza were often seen only after weeks. In the beginning, these are usually similar to those of conventional flu, with high fever, cough, sore throat and sometimes shortness of breath. In some cases, you may also experience symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain or nausea and vomiting. (Ad)