So far, NRW has got off lightly with the spread of avian influenza. Can it stay that way in the midst of an epidemic that is rampant around us?
Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - Additional regular examinations of the animal stocks are intended to curb the spread of avian influenza in North Rhine-Westphalia. But despite intensified controls as well as safety and hygiene measures in the companies, the Ministry of Agriculture in Düsseldorf is preparing for increasing numbers of infections. In view of the epidemic that has been rampant in Germany and Europe since autumn 2020, it must be assumed that NRW, with its intensive poultry farming and high population density, will not be spared, a spokeswoman for the ministry said on request in Düsseldorf.
For the first time in six months, avian influenza reappeared in NRW last week. A small hobby farm in Bottrop was affected, whose stock of 120 ducks, geese and chickens had to be killed and disposed of. Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony have been much more affected in recent months: entire seabird populations on the North and Baltic Seas have been threatened. Avian influenza is a viral, highly contagious infectious disease affecting livestock and other birds. The risk of infection for humans has so far been considered very low.
The spokeswoman for the NRW Ministry of Agriculture announced that information and educational work would be further strengthened in NRW. However, there is already a high level of sensitivity to the topic in both commercial and hobby poultry farming. The main thing now is to take stricter precautionary measures to prevent the plague from spreading further through the sale of domestic poultry or personal contact. The poultry in the stocks should be protected from contact with wild birds.
