H5N8 Birdflu outbreak reported in Netherlands and UK farms

Dutch agricultural experts in protective suits moved in to a bird flu infested farm on Monday morning and destroyed all the 150,000 chicken on sight as a precaution. An exclusion zone was further established around the farm and further samples taken away for analysis

Dutch authorities confirmed that the farm has been infected by the highly contagious H5N8 strain of bird flu. It has never been detected in humans but it can spread very quickly on the bird population. H5N8  bird flu’s most recent outbreak in South Korea led to the destruction of millions of birds. The disease has been linked to migratory wild birds

This European outbreak of the H5N8  bird flu first appeared on a farm in Germany on November 4th. The Dutch have immediately imposed a 72 hour ban on the transportation of all poultry products across the country. The European Union commission met in Brussels on Monday and may come up with additional measures to prevent the virus spreading across Europe.

In the UK, a Duck bleeding farm in the North of England was closed on Monday after a different strain of bird flu was discovered there. British officials destroyed all the 6,000 ducks on sight. They however said that it was not the most deadly strain of the virus. They have not ruled out a connection of the duck farm outbreak with the one in Netherlands.

A prolonged outbreak of bird flu in Europe could have enormous commercial implications. The Netherlands alone exports 6 billion eggs every year. Authorities across Europe are asking farmers to be extra vigilant for signs of sickness among their birds.