Finland News (Machine Translated)
Highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu has been found in a new fur farm in Kauhava. In total, bird flu has now been found in 25 fur farms in Ostrobothnia, more than half of which are from the same locality, Kausti. The same virus has been confirmed as the cause of death of the laughing seagulls found in the center of Mikkeli in laboratory tests by the Food Agency.
The latest case of bird flu was found in blue foxes sent from a fur farm in Kauhava. The transformation of the virus has been found in five shelters. Termination decisions have been issued for 13 of the infected farms and a total of approximately 120,000 animals have been ordered to be euthanized. Terminations have been completed at 10 shelters, and terminations are currently underway at three shelters.
The bird flu epidemic started in the fur farms in mid-July. The disease probably spread to Pohja farms from laughing gulls, where bird flu infections have been particularly high this summer throughout Europe.
The first seagull deaths in Eastern Finland
The laughing gulls found in the center of Mikkeli are the first confirmed cases of bird flu in Eastern Finland during this epidemic. A total of 28 confirmed cases of bird flu in wild birds have been found this year.
In addition to infection zones, the Food Agency recommends keeping birds in the whole of Finland or otherwise ensuring that wild birds do not come into contact with poultry and captive birds or the feed and water offered to them. At the same time, the Food Agency reminds us of the importance of disease protection in poultry farms and other places where birds are kept, in order to prevent bird flu infections.
Bird flu is easily spread from wild birds to poultry and other birds if the birds come into contact with each other directly or, for example, through feed contaminated with feces.