January 14, 2020

Hungary reports H5N8 bird flu in turkey farm

The latest bird flu outbreak in Europe was found at a turkey farm in northwest Hungary, according to Hungary's National Food Chain Safety Authority (NEBIH), reported Reuters.

The NEBIH said all 50,000 birds on the farm will be culled and transport restrictions will be imposed as part of precautionary measures to halt the spread of the infection. The affected turkey farm will receive compensation from the state.

The NEBIH also said the virus strain is similar to the one that affected Hungary in 2016 and has confirmed that all Hungarian poultry products remain safe to consume.

The authority added that the H5N8 strain had not infected any humans so far.

The latest case follows a string of H5N8 bird flu cases in Slovakia and Poland.

-      Reuters