#17,516
We have a brief update from the Chief Veterinary Office in Poland - and while the math is a little fuzzy - it confirms the outbreak of H5N1 among cats in Poland is widespread. Of 33 samples received by the State Veterinary Institute in Puławy - 19 have been tested - and 15 were positive for H5N1.
Another positive test has been reported by the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (from Warsaw). While this report only mentions 16 positive findings, they indicate 20 outbreaks have been confirmed, which suggests other samples have tested positive in other labs.
Strikingly, positive results have come from as far afield as Gdańsk, Gdynia, Pruszcz Gdański, Lublin, Bydgoszcz and Poznań.
While not officially confirmed, Pathfinder on FluTrackers has a media report indicating that two indoor cats in Poznań have tested positive for the virus, along with a warning not to feed cats raw chicken.
The translated official statement follows:
(translation)
Communication of the IV GLW on the disease of cats
Announcements 2023-06-28
With reference to the announcement of June 26. The Chief Veterinary Officer informs that to the State Veterinary Institute in Puławy to this day until By 3:00 pm, a total of 33 samples from cats from Gdańsk, Gdynia, Poznań, Lublin, Pruszcz Gdański, Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, Bydgoszcz, Wrocław and the vicinity of Zamość were received.
Positive results were obtained in 15 of the 19 samples already tested. All positive results indicate the genetic material of the H5N1 influenza virus and come from Gdańsk, Gdynia, Pruszcz Gdański, Lublin, Bydgoszcz and Poznań.
In addition, one of the samples tested at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, from Warsaw, was positive for H5N1 influenza, which means 20 confirmed outbreaks in the country.
Any new guidelines as well as announcements in the case will be regularly published on the official website ( https://www.wetgiw.gov.pl/main/komunikaty ), in order to provide you with current information .
For now, the exact route of infection isn't known (and may vary from one event to the next), and we've not seen any detailed genetic analysis of the virus.
Stay tuned.
