Europe hit by the biggest bird flu outbreak ever. Birds fall down in bushes and millions of chickens and other poultry must be finished. Avian flu (also known as avian influenza) is a disease caused by a bird influenza A virus (flu virus). This bird flu virus is related to the human flu virus. The disease is mainly contagious for waterfowl and poultry, but people can also become infected with some subtypes.

Dog on a leash
The bird flu has already led to infections among foxes and a single polection in the Netherlands. This can also happen to cats and dogs. There are no cases of infected pets in the Netherlands yet, but it is wise to pay close attention to your dog or cat. Get your dog on a leash in parks and nature reserves where waterfowl live. So that they can't eat poo from ducks, hooves, geese or swans, or grab a sick animal”

Infected birds have easy to recognize symptoms. A bird flu-infested polecat found at Goeree-Overflakkee at the beginning of this year constantly turned her head. Mammals get infected with the virus when they eat infected wild birds. The bird flu can pose a threat to all mammals, and therefore also humans. Hikers in nature reserves are therefore wise to avoid contact with sick or dead waterfowl.

Bird Flu Infected Dead Wild Birds Map. . On this map you can see where infected dead wild birds were found in the Netherlands. Have you found a dead wild (water) bird? Report this to the animal ambulance. Note: don't touch dead birds.

Latest bird flu news: Barnacle geese Oostvaardersplassen had avian flu | Pluimveewebnl - News for poultry farmers

Avian flu, how dangerous is that?

The bird flu virus is a lot more dangerous for people than the coronavirus. 'A H5N1 infection in humans can cause a serious illness, 'says World Health Organization WHO. If it changes and is easily transferable from person to person — for example by air — the consequences for public health can be 'very serious'. It already occasionally happens that a human being infected.

WHO assumes that six out of ten infected people will then die of it.
That is much more than with corona, which one in a hundred people dies from.

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