The laboratory of the National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih) has detected the presence of the avian influenza virus at several livestock farms in the counties of Békés and Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok. The liquidation of the affected stocks and the epidemiological investigation are in progress, the office announced in a statement to MTI on Tuesday.
In a mallard duck farm with more than 44,000 ducks in Tótkomlós in Békés county, in a breeding goose farm in Pusztaföldvár with about 1,500 animals, and in Öcsöd in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county with approximately 20,000 birds, nervous system symptoms and increased mortality raised suspicions among the livestock keepers, they wrote. Nébih’s laboratory confirmed the H5N1 subtype of the virus from samples taken from dead animals.
Liquidation of all affected stocks is underway. Around the farms, the epidemiologic authority designated a protection zone with a radius of 3 kilometers and also established a surveillance (observation) zone with a radius of 10 kilometers. The monitoring area has been extended in Békés County. Nébih once again drew attention to the fact that the highly pathogenic bird flu virus can reappear at any time. The organization continues to ask animal keepers to strictly and consistently observe the epidemic prevention regulations, they underlined.
MTI
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