Only a few outbreaks of bird flu so far

There were only a few outbreaks of avian influenza in Saxony last winter, but the Ministry of Health does not want to give the all-clear. Nationwide, 111 cases of avian influenza have been reported so far this year. They are concentrated on the North and Baltic Sea coasts, the ministry said on Sunday. In Saxony, four cases were reported in March in grey and wild geese in the Leipzig region, and further suspected cases are being investigated.

A poultry farm in Belgern-Schildau (district of North Saxony) was also affected at the end of February. Almost all of the more than 40 chickens and ducks there died. The virus was presumably transmitted through contact with wild birds. There is also evidence of the virus in mammals that eat wild birds. For example, the virus was detected in a fox discovered dead in Bautzen at the beginning of March, the ministry announced.

Health Minister Petra Köpping appealed to livestock farmers to continue to adhere to the necessary hygiene measures and to improve them if necessary. "Flocks should be protected against contact with wild birds." Avian influenza occurs worldwide and is spread by migratory birds. "We can never assume that we are not affected." Suspicious signs of disease in bird and poultry farms as well as dead birds must therefore be reported immediately.