[ad_1]
Wide spread of the H5N8 and H5N5 avian influenza viruses has been found on a farm in Mönsterås municipality in Kalmar county. A larger flock of laying hens has been affected and the infection has spread even further in the facility, now leading to 1.3 million poultry having to be culled and destroyed.
The stables are emptied and the facility must be decontaminated and disinfected. To carry out the work, the Swedish Board of Agriculture and the Swedish Veterinary Institute (SVA) are assisted by the animal organization Blue Star and the Swedish Armed Forces.
Since November, Sweden has had five confirmed cases of bird flu in herds of domestic poultry. In addition to Kalmar County, Skåne is hit hard with a distribution of four farms. On two of these farms, the spread was discovered in November and December.
The restriction areas remain around three of the farms in the municipalities of Mönsterås, Skurup and Sjöbo.
Within the areas around affected facilities in southern Sweden, protection level 3 applies, which means more stringent requirements for domestic birds to be kept indoors to avoid contact with wild birds.
Pet owners nationwide are urged to be more vigilant and urgently contact a veterinarian if poultry show increased mortality.
Niklas Svahn / TT
[ad_2]
