Nations around the world are imposing trading bans in the wake of
the discovery of H5N8 strain of avian influenza in a flock of laying hens in
the Netherlands.
The flock of about 150,000 has been slaughtered and a 10-kilometre
quarantine zone has been established.
South Korea, Macedonia and parts of China have joined the list of
nations that have banned the import of all poultry products from the
Netherlands, Great Britain and Germany following the reports of various strains
of bird in recent weeks.
Officials in Sweden today also ordered farmers to keep hens and other poultry
indoors as a precautionary measure.
The goal is to contain the spread of the virus and the ban in South
Korea even asks potential visitors who travel to Europe not to have contact
with farm animals or bring any poultry from the affected countries back into
South Korea.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is urging countries to be “vigilant”
in monitoring their poultry flocks, culling sick birds and monitoring fever in
humans who may have been in contact with affected poultry to prevent the spread
of the virus to humans.
WHO officials said the virus most likely spread to Europe from Asia
through wild migratory birds.
WHO also said that because of the rapid spread of H5N8, human cases “probably”
will eventually be detected.
The H5 component of the strain has killed more than 400 people —
mostly in southeast Asia — since 2003, the WHO said.
