Source:
https://www.bz-berlin.de/berlin/umland/neuer-vogelgrippeausbruch-auf-farm-in-brandenburg
In Märkisch-Oderland
New bird flu outbreak on a farm in Brandenburg
BZ / dpa
December 31, 2021 5:09 p.m.
Another case of avian influenza occurred in a livestock population in Brandenburg. The H5N1 pathogen was detected in a company in Märkisch-Oderland by the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI), as the consumer protection ministry announced on Friday.
According to the information, the district's veterinary office initiated all necessary measures. This included the establishment of a protection zone within a three-kilometer radius and a surveillance zone within a ten-kilometer radius of the outbreak population. The poultry is killed and disposed of by order of the veterinary office. The poultry farmers affected are informed by the district about the necessary measures in these areas.
The cause of the infection is still unclear, said consumer protection minister Ursula Nonnemacher (Greens). Necessary investigations have been initiated. "Since the epidemic increased again in wild birds and also in poultry populations in neighboring federal states and throughout Europe in October, we have been on the alert," said the minister.
According to the ministry, the FLI assesses the risk of further entries as high, the institute had warned of a dramatic development in Germany and Europe in this winter half-year.
This autumn and winter, the avian influenza virus had so far been detected in wild birds and in two small populations in Brandenburg. Last autumn and winter there was already one of the most serious infections in avian influenza. In Brandenburg, eleven outbreaks were recorded in poultry populations, a total of around 159,000 animals had to be killed.
Avian influenza, also known colloquially as bird flu, is a highly contagious viral disease for poultry and other birds. According to the ministry, it can quickly reach epidemic proportions in poultry flocks. The H5N8 bird flu virus is considered to be harmless to humans