December 18, 2007

 

New H5N1 bird flu outbreak at Polish farm

 

 

Poland has been hit by a fresh outbreak of bird flu, authorities told the PAP news agency on Monday, with the deadly H5N1 virus confirmed at a small northern poultry farm.

 

Infected birds were discovered at a small farm near Milakowo in the northern region of Ostrada, PAP quoted veterinary service spokesman Adam Wojtaszek as saying.

 

Infected poultry had also been discovered last week in two other small farms in the same region.

 

Five other outbreaks of the strain, which can also be fatal to humans, have been discovered since the beginning of this month at larger chicken and turkey farms in central and northern Poland.

 

Polish authorities have slapped security zones around the affected farms.

 

Last week, a stork and two buzzards being cared for at a bird sanctuary in Poland's northwestern lake region of Mazuria were also found to have died from H5N1.

 

Poland was also hit by the virus last year, but it only affected wild birds, and this year's outbreaks are the first among poultry.

 

Since the latest outbreak began, veterinary authorities have as a precaution ordered the slaughter of around half a million domestic fowl.

 

Poland's Agriculture Minister Marek Sawicki has warned that the outbreak must be brought under control because it could cause major economic problems given that the affected areas have a high concentration of poultry farms.

 

Sawicki has promised farmers 100 percent compensation for their losses.

 

The European Commission has since Dec. 3 banned exports of live poultry, meat and eggs from the affected areas.

 

Poland's fellow European Union member and neighbor Lithuania has imposed a blanket ban on Polish poultry products, a step likewise taken by Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.