Erfurt (dpa/th) - In Thuringia, cases of bird flu have been detected for the first time this year. The Thuringian Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday that two poultry farmers in the Weimar region and a poultry-keeping company in Jena were affected. "The influenza A virus of subtype H5N1, which is highly pathogenic for poultry, was identified by the Friedrich Loeffler Institute," the statement said. "All affected poultry farmers took part in a district breed poultry show." It will be checked whether poultry exhibitions or other events where poultry is sold or exchanged will be banned in Thuringia for the time being.
A protection zone with a radius of three kilometers and a surveillance zone with a radius of ten kilometers will be set up around the plant in Jena. Such zones are not necessary for the outbreak farms in the Weimarer Land district. Further suspected cases from the Weimarer Land district are currently being clarified with laboratory diagnostics. A spread of the epidemic cannot be ruled out with certainty at this point in time.
"Affected stocks in which the virus is detected are blocked and the poultry must be killed under the supervision of the official veterinarians in an animal-friendly manner," it said.
Bird flu, often also called avian influenza, can be triggered by various so-called avian influenza viruses. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) estimates the risk of becoming infected with the H5N1 virus, even for people who have been in close contact with infected birds, to be “very low”. However, it can easily spread in bird populations - for these animals it is a deadly danger. Recently there have been many bird flu cases in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The Berlin Zoo is currently closed due to bird flu.
