January 6, 2020

Poland reports four new bird flu outbreak cases

Europe's largest poultry producing country is now managing six bird flu outbreak incidents, the first since 2017, reported Reuters.

The new areas affected by the H5N8 bird flu strain are Wolka Orlowska and Olchowiec Kolonia, both in Lubelskie, at a turkey farm also in the Lubelskie region, and on a chicken farm in Przygodzice, west Wielkopolskie.

Pawel Piotrowski, regional veterinary officer at Lubelskie said an estimated 60,000 birds will be gassed, with 40,000 already dead from the flu.

He said 100,000 birds may be affected by bird flu in the Lubelskie region alone, with a high risk of the disease spreading further as poultry farms are located close to each other.

He added that the area has been quarantined and there is a focus on cleaning enclosures that housed birds infected with the virus.

The bird flu in Poland is a subtype of the pathogenic H5N8 virus, and it is harmful to humans. However, Piotrowski said the risk of it infecting humans is much lower compared to other birds, where infection causes death.

-      Reuters