H5N1 virus hits Hungary again

National food safety authority Nébih has confirmed the presence of the H5N1 bird flu virus at an animal shelter in Budapest and at a duck farm in Békés County, in the south-east, the authority said on its website on Friday.

According to Nébih, the birds in Bekes had not showed any symptoms and the virus was detected through a routine check before culling. At the Budapest shelter, samples were taken after birds suddenly died at the facility, the authority added. Restrictions and mandatory examinations are in place in Bács-Kiskun and Csongrád-Csanád counties, and poultry must be tested before transport nationwide, Nébih noted.