#12,079
Although the expansion and spread of HPAI H5 in France and the UK have been making the biggest headlines in recent days, the virus continues to plague many other EU countries, and today was confirmed in the Czech Republic.
The OIE's website has been down this morning, so we don't have an official report, but the following story from Radio Prague is representative of the media reports over the past few hours.
For now, the determination is HPAI H5, and while H5N8 is presumed, we will have to wait for further tests to confirm.
Czech Republic declares bird flu cases in South Moravia
04-01-2017 11:16 | Chris Johnstone
The first cases of bird flu in the Czech Republic have been declared after a gap of around 10 years. Cases have been confirmed in swans in the Znojmo area in South Moravia and also at two poultry farms in the region. The H5 version of bird flu has been confirmed, which according to the State Veterinary Service is not a threat to humans. Even so, checks are being made on people who were in contract with the infected poultry. The minister of agriculture has said that cases of bird flu could have been expected in the country since most neighbouring states had already announced cases.
Meanwhile in Bulgaria, the number of outbreaks has reportedly doubled over the past week. This from AFP.
A bird flu outbreak in Bulgaria has spread to at least 26 farm, the Agriculture Ministry says.
A bird flu outbreak in Bulgaria has spread to at least 26 farms, the Agriculture Ministry says, nearly double the figure announced on December 30.(Continue . . . )
A nation-wide ban on hunting of game birds would take immediate effect and a mass cull of birds would be launched in a bid to contain the outbreak, the ministry said in a statement.
"By Thursday, the veterinary authorities will cull more than 110,000 birds, mainly ducks," Food Safety Agency spokesman Martin Radev told Reuters.
The southern region of Plovdiv was most affected by the highly pathogenic virus H5N8, Radev said.
With well over 700 detections of HPAI H5 already Europe since early October - and several months left in the `winter-spring' bird flu season - the poultry industry in Europe appears can ill afford to let down their guard, even in areas where outbreaks have begun to recede.
