The poultry plague has reached Oberberg - what to do now

Hückeswagen/Radevormwald Facts + Background After the outbreak of the poultry plague in a Wipperfürther company was officially confirmed, the district has strengthened the protective measures.What the operators of commercial companies and hobby holders have to consider now.

The poultry plague has definitely arrived in the Oberberg district, and very close to Hückeswagen and Radevormwald.After the suspicion of poultry plague had been found in Wipperfürther poultry farming (our editorial team reported), the Friedrich Löffler Institute (FLI) for animal health in Jena has since proven the highly contaminated influenza virus H5N1."This officially determined the outbreak of the so -called poultry plague," said Philipp Ising from the press office of the district administration.

What kind of company is that in Wipperfürth?The affected company is a smaller hobby posture with chickens, geese and ducks."Most of the animals of the inventory died of the disease within a few days, the rest of the animals had to be killed on Friday," reports Ising.

What is the poultry plague?The bird flu, as the disease is colloquially called, is an infectious disease triggered by viruses that has its natural reservoir host in the wild water bird.These viruses occur in two variants and different subtypes."The influenza viruses of the subtypes H5 and H7 cause hardly or only mild symptoms of illness for ducks and geese," writes the fli on its website.However, these viruses can spontaneously mutate into a highly infectious form, which then shows a clinically as a poultry plague.

What is currently being done?In order to prevent the spread of animal disease, far -reaching investigations of animals are currently taking place.The district has drawn a three-kilometer protection zone around the affected Wipperfürther company, which is limited to the urban area of the Hanseatic city.For this purpose, a ten-kilometer surveillance zone was set up within which strict requirements apply to poultry keeping and transportation-this also affects the entire Hückeswagen city area and the south of Radevormwald.There is a card online here.

What do the affected companies have to consider in these zones?They are subject to official observation, and there is also an obligation to install and shield the poultry held.Poultry transports are prohibited, eggs may not be sold and delivered from the companies.In individual cases, the district veterinary office issues exceptional permits.The stables and other locations of the poultry are to be secured against unauthorized access or unauthorized travel.From non -company people they may only be entered with protective clothing, which must be cleaned and disinfected or eliminated immediately after use.Each poultry holder must hold a ready -to -operate set up for washing the hands and a facility for disinfection of the shoes.

What's next?If the examinations run negatively, the measures in the protection zone can be relaxed after 21 days and can be lifted in both zones after 30 days.However, if other cases occur in the Oberberg district, there is a risk of a district -wide stable obligation as in East Westphalia and in the Wesel district.

What can poultry holders do as a precaution?The veterinary office appeals to the poultry holders outside the restricted zones to protect their poultry stocks as best as possible.If you can, you should only keep your animals in the stable or cover the enclosure from above and provide the sides with nets or close -knit wire, so that no virus can get into the enclosure over the feces or wild birds.Food and water may only be offered for wild birds inaccessible for wild birds.If many animals die, the veterinarian must be brought in.

Where was the virus introduced from?Since mid -October, hundreds of infected wild birds from at least twelve federal states as well as more than 50 outbreaks in poultry and kept birds from numerous federal states have been reported again in Germany.

Does a hobby poultry farm also have to be registered?Yes, and that can be reported to the veterinary office and the animal disease fund.Hobby holders who have failed to do so far should make up for this immediately.The veterinary office has set up a citizens' phone on ☏ 02261/883888.

Is the virus contagious for humans too?The poultry plague is initially highly contagious for house poultry and runs with severe general signs of illness.It can also be transferred to humans, primarily on those with close contact with infected useful poultry.Overall, according to the Robert Koch Institute, the risk for humans can also be assessed as very low.