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Date Published: 22/02/2022

ARCHIVED - Bird flu runs rampant across Spain

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

The deadly virus is now present in 13 farms in Andalucía

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Bird flu runs rampant across Spain

Bird flu is an infectious disease caused by the type A influenza virus that is found naturally among waterfowl around the world. The problem for our food production and consumption chain is that it can infect domestic poultry and other birds, which is currently the situation across Europe and a problem which is worsening by the day in Spain.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development has revealed that an additional four cases of bird flu have been discovered in Andalucía in the Provinces of Sevilla and Huelva; this brings to 13 the total number of outbreaks in the community and to 17 the number in Spain overall.

Nearly 670,000 animals have already been slaughtered as a preventative health measure even as the ministry scrambles to establish the possible origin of the outbreaks. Worryingly, the most recent Andalusian outbreaks are within the restriction zone established after the detection of the disease on other poultry farms in the municipalities of Carmona (Seville) and Niebla (Huelva).

You might also like: Bird flu leads to poultry farm confinement in Murcia

So far there is no evidence that this subtype plaguing Europe in recent months has been passed onto humans, but the experts still recommend minimising unnecessary contact with dead birds or animals displaying symptoms.

This strain of avian influenza is typically spread among birds through water. The deceased animals do not show any external signs of the disease, and confirmation of bird flu is only possible through laboratory testing. For this reason, when a case is detected, the only way to combat the spread of the virus is to cull and confine birds.

In Andalucía, the official veterinary services of the Andalusian Government are taking the necessary measures to control the outbreaks and the appropriate actions in the established protection and surveillance zones.

Also of interest: EU salmonella outbreak linked to Spanish eggs

Image: PETA

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