Bird flu in Vechta

Bird flu: 11,000 animals in Vechta district to be killed

05/16/2013

Turkey's Vechta district has been shown to be a mild form of bird flu, according to the latest release from the Lower Saxony Ministry of Agriculture and Consumer Protection. The H7 avian influenza virus was detected at the company's own controls on Wednesday night, according to the official announcement. After reporting the pathogen detection, the Vechta district immediately closed the operation and ordered the official investigation of further samples. These have now confirmed the infection with the avian influenza virus, reported the Lower Saxony Ministry of Agriculture on Wednesday.

According to the information provided by the authorities, around 11 000 animals are present in the establishment concerned due to the risk of spreading the bird flu virus „to be killed in an animal welfare.“ In addition, be as well „In three turkeys affected by mild bird flu in the district of Osnabrück and one farm with free-range laying hens in the district of Emsland, all necessary measures have been taken immediately“, explained the Lower Saxony Ministry of Agriculture. A one-kilometer restricted area has been set up around the farm in which poultry can not be transported. The two other poultry farms, which are located in the restricted area of ​​the district Vechta, are also affected by the transport ban. However, hobby poultry keeping with two ducks and the barn for barn hens with a capacity of about 17,000 animals in land keeping do not have to kill their animals. While this measure is intended to detect severe bird flu for the surrounding farms, poultry farmers may be spared the killing of their animals in the mild variant of bird flu.

Prevent the spread of bird flu
Authorities take samples from all poultry farms within the restricted area to detect possible infections. In the directly affected farm after the killing of the animals, a thorough cleaning and disinfection of the stables, where after 21 days without pathogen detection can be given all-clear and all measures are reversed. In order to identify the infection route, the authorities also carry out intensive epidemiological investigations. Even though there is currently only one case in the district of Vechta, the authorities are taking the bird flu test very seriously and the veterinary office has taken all measures with great care to prevent the virus from spreading, reports the Lower Saxony Ministry of Agriculture. Thus, for example, the surrounding counties were informed directly and the animal health news message for nationwide information to the veterinary authorities was discontinued.

No threat to humans
Although avian influenza can be dangerous for poultry, Vechta's proven pathogens pose no threat to humans. This is not the case with the human pathogenic variant of bird flu (H7N9), which is currently rife in China. It also causes severe bird flu symptoms in humans, such as high fever and respiratory infections. Many sufferers suffered from pneumonia and about one-quarter of those who were proven to be infected did not survive the infection. However, the bird flu variant detected in Vechta is only threatening for poultry stocks. Meanwhile, the farms in the district of Osnabrück, which were recently affected by the mild bird flu, were meanwhile released again because of the extinction of avian influenza, according to the latest report from the Lower Saxony Ministry of Agriculture. (Fp)

Picture: schemmi