Heiligenstadt (dpa/th) - Avian influenza occurred in a private chicken farm in Niederorschel. All 19 animals had died, the Eichsfeld district office announced on Friday. Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, was most likely introduced by wild ducks. A protection zone has been defined within a radius of three kilometers. A general stable obligation is initially refrained from, but it is recommended for valuable stables.
Cases of avian influenza were last seen in Thuringia in January in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district. The animal disease had been reported in the Weimarer Land district and in Jena since autumn. The district of Gotha also had an outbreak in mid-December. According to the Ministry of Health, an infected dead wild goose was also found in the Nordhausen district. According to experts, transmission occurs primarily through contact between wild and domestic birds.
