February 5, 2020

More than 385,000 birds culled after H5N8 bird flu reported in Saudi Arabia

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said Saudi Arabia has reported a H5N8 bird flu outbreak on a poultry farm in the central Sudair region, reported Reuters.

Citing a report from the Saudi agriculture ministry, OIE said the highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu virus has already killed 22,700 birds in central Sudair.

385,300 birds in the flock have been culled to curb the spread of the virus.

The last H5N8 bird flu outbreak in Saudi Arabia was reported in July 2018.

This new H5N8 case follows the spread of the virus across Europe, carried by migratory wild birds. Outbreaks have been reported in Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany and Ukraine.

-      Reuters