Bird Flu Outbreak Detected in Western Belgium, Report Says

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) – The H5N5 bird flu has been found in the Menen municipality of Belgium’s province of West Flanders, Belgian media reported.

According to the Sudinfo media outlet, all domestic birds at the farm hit by the outbreak will be culled. There is also a threat of the spread of the outbreak to neighbouring regions and the whole of Belgium. 

“A wild pink-footed goose in Sandnes has been diagnosed with bird flu. Bird flu is primarily dangerous for birds because of the quick spread. Infections of domestic birds can also have serious consequences for agriculture. The threat of the transmission to human is very low,” the authority said in a statement on late Friday.

People have been asked to report about found dead birds to prevent the further spread of the disease.

On Friday, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority said that a pink-footed goose had died of the H5N8 bird flu in the southern province of Rogaland. Outbreaks of bird flu have been recently detected in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, northern Germany and Japan.