Bird flu fear: 400,000 animals killed – pandemic risk is growing!

Bird flu fear: 400,000 animals killed – pandemic risk is growing!

Bird flu is spreading in Germany and is causing alarm, especially among animal owners and conservationists. Around 400,000 farm animals have already had to be killed due to the dangerous H5N1 virus. This massive number illustrates the severity of the situation, which is described by the President of the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI), Christa Kühn, as “high virus pressure” that enters the populations primarily through healthy wild birds. The German Nature Conservation Association (NABU) is even talking about a pandemic, as the current outbreaks and the premature wave of infections this year say a lot about the state of bird populations and poultry farming in Germany.

Special risk groups and affected regions

Cranes are among the species particularly affected; They are dying en masse, as current reports show. In Brandenburg alone, over 1,000 cranes died in a bird sanctuary. But not only that, commercial poultry farms have also been hit hard: in North Rhine-Westphalia, almost 19,000 animals had to be culled, while in Brandenburg over 9,000 birds from two farms were disinfected and in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania even around 150,000 chickens in large laying hen farms fell victim to the strict measures. Due to these serious losses, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture has applied to the EU to increase compensation payments for valuable animals from 50 to 110 euros.

The spread of the H5N1 virus was particularly facilitated by migratory birds, which travel in large groups and thus facilitate the transmission of the virus. Ralf Reinhardt, district administrator in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district of Brandenburg, is already expressing worried thoughts about possible price increases in trading systems, which could particularly affect small families. Hans-Peter Goldnick, President of the Central Association of the German Poultry Industry, is also concerned, but also sees the situation as controllable.

Preventive measures and recommendations

It is important for the population to remain vigilant: NABU strongly advises against touching sick or dead birds. The Friedrich Loeffler Institute is actively keeping an eye on the situation and – what is particularly important – establishing strict security measures in the affected companies. This includes, among other things, protection and surveillance zones as well as the disinfection of footwear and equipment to prevent a further outbreak of the virus.

The health risks of bird flu for humans can currently be classified as extremely low. There is currently no evidence of human-to-human transmission, and while past outbreaks in Asia have resulted in deaths, experts in the EU have not yet confirmed any high-risk infections. “Infection for humans is extremely unlikely,” say the experts, who nevertheless warn that no one can guarantee complete safety. However, virologist Martin Beer expects the virus to spread further, particularly among wild birds, as the current three-month cycles of infection on bird populations appear to be having a devastating impact.

In any case, the situation is being monitored seriously and it remains to be hoped that the current measures are sufficient to get the spread of the virus under control.