Germany: 500,000 birds culled as flu spreads
Dozens of cases of bird flu have been reported across the country, especially in north-eastern regions. The virus isn’t particularly dangerous for humans, but could result in higher prices for poultry and eggs.
A volunteer in a protective suit loads dead birds from a field onto a tractor for disposal
There have been 30 registered outbreaks of bird flu in German poultry batteries and another 73 outbreaks among wild birds .
Over half a million hens, ducks, geese and turkeys have been culled in Germany since the start of September as a virulent strain of bird flu sweeps the country.
According to the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI), the German government agency responsible for monitoring animal pestilence, there have been 30 registered outbreaks in poultry batteries and another 73 among wild birds.
“And we’re expecting more,” a spokesperson told the dpa news agency, explaining that another 23 suspected cases are currently being investigated.
According to the FLI, outbreaks of bird flu usually emerge at the start of November at the height of the migratory season, meaning that the current pestilence could yet to reach its peak.
In the south-western state of Rhineland-Palatinate, local authorities said new suspected cases were reaching them on a daily basis and spoke of an “unusual dynamic.”
Bird flu in Germany: where are the most affected areas?
The worst affected areas are the northern and eastern states of Lower Saxony (20 cases), Thuringia (19), Brandenburg (19) and Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (14). But cases have also been confirmed in the southern state of Bavaria (eight) and the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (five).
Cranes have reportedly been particularly badly affected, with emergency services in northern Brandenburg, just north of Berlin, having to dispose of thousands of infected, dead animals left strewn across fields.
According to the FLI, the outbreaks are being caused by the highly infectious H5N-1 strain of the HPAIV influenza virus – commonly known as bird flu.
