Belgium is experiencing an increasing number of avian influenza cases. The H5 strain has recently been detected in the provinces of Limburg and Namur. Meanwhile, the US Department of Health has confirmed the death of an American man who contracted a previously unidentified form of bird flu.
According to a statement issued on Monday by the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC), a poultry farm in La Bruyère, in the province of Namur, has tested positive for the H5 subtype. This is the second confirmed outbreak in Namur.
Three poultry farms in Limburg have also reported infections in recent days. In all cases, flocks are being culled. Authorities have established three-kilometre protection zones and ten-kilometre surveillance zones around each affected site, with specific control measures in place for each zone.
Mandatory housing of poultry
Several outbreaks have already been detected among poultry farms and wild birds in recent weeks. In an earlier response, Agriculture minister David Clarinval (MR) reinstated the mandatory housing of poultry. This requirement applies to all professional and registered hobby keepers. The FASFC advises owners to minimise exposure to wild birds by covering outdoor runs and aviaries, and warns that dead or sick birds must not be handled.
Meanwhile, the Natuurhulpcentrum wildlife rescue centre in Limburg has reported a surge in call-outs, with staff responding to around ten cases a day as the virus appears to be circulating throughout the province.
The virus is not limited to birds. A few days ago, it emerged that the world’s largest population of southern elephant seals has been severely affected. The British Antarctic Survey estimates that more than 50,000 seals have died following infection, describing the scale of mortality as ‘staggering’.
The US Department of Health has also confirmed that an elderly man in Washington State with underlying health conditions died after contracting the H5N5 subtype of the virus. He was tested for the virus after being admitted to hospital with flu-like symptoms earlier this month.
This marks the second fatal case of avian influenza in a human in the United States. Another elderly patient with pre-existing conditions died in January after contracting the virus.
© Jaime REINA / AFP
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