H5N8 bird flu found in eastern Hungary

The Hungarian National Food Chain Safety Office (NEBIH) said here on Wednesday that the H5N8 strain of bird flu has been found at a duck farm in Létavértes, eastern Hungary.

“NEBIH has started to kill the 115,000 ducks in the farm, and will establish a three-km-perimeter protection zone and a 10-km-perimeter surveillance zone around the site,” NEBIH said in a press statement.

“Wild birds on the nearby lake may have played a role in the appearance of the disease. It is still mandatory to feed and (give) water (to) the poultry completely indoors, and litter must also be stored in such a way that wild birds do not have access to it,” read the statement.

“Mandatory enclosures will soon be added to the compulsory requirements, but due to the increased risk, it is already worthwhile for farmers to keep stocks indoors,” the statement added.

Source: Xinhua – BUDAPEST