BERLIN: The highly contagious H5N1 strain of bird flu has been identified on three poultry farms in Germany, leading local authorities to cull tens of thousands of birds.
The most severely affected location, a turkey farm, has experienced its second bird flu outbreak this year. The first outbreak, in March, resulted in the culling of 17,000 animals, while the current outbreak has led to the culling of 25,000 birds.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Minister of Agriculture, Till Backhaus, expressed concerns that the situation may intensify with the onset of the cold season. He urged farmers to take preventive measures by slaughtering their animals early to avoid potential financial losses.
Similar to the equine influenza virus, H3N8, H5N1 has been detected in humans, but current research indicates that human-to-human transmission is not yet possible.
Europe faced its worst recorded bird flu season last year, with responsible EU authorities reporting the culling of 50 million birds between October 2021 and September 2022 due to the virus. —Xinhua/APP
