Avian influenza outbreaks in Europe and Asia

The spread of highly contagious "bird flu" has put the poultry sector on alert.

Reuters

The World Organization for Animal Health has received several reports of severe outbreaks of "bird flu" in Europe and Asia in the past few days, in an indication that the virus is spreading rapidly again.

The spread of highly contagious "bird flu" has put the poultry sector on alert, after previous outbreaks led to the culling of tens of millions of birds, and outbreaks of the disease often also lead to trade restrictions.

China has reported 21 human cases of the "H5N6" strain of "bird flu" so far this year, which is more than the total number of cases recorded in the whole of 2020.

Yesterday, the World Organization for Animal Health, citing a report from the South Korean authorities, said that South Korea had reported an outbreak of the disease in a farm of about 770,000 chickens in Chungcheongbuk-do, which led to the culling of all the birds.

In Europe, the organization said that Norway had reported an outbreak of "bird flu" of the "H5N1" strain in the Rogaland region in about 7,000 birds.

Outbreaks generally occur in the fall, and are spread by wild migratory birds.

The Belgian government has put the country on alert in the face of the growing threat of "bird flu", and ordered poultry to be kept inside their cages from Monday, after the identification of a highly contagious type of "bird flu" in a wild goose near Antwerp.

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