According to Latvian Food and Veterinary Service (PVD), an outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu was found in an enclosure of domestic fowl in Estonia.
PVD notes that more than 160 different birds were kept in the affected enclosure, including laying hens, ducks, geese, pigeons and peacocks. Authorities have commenced restrictive and epidemiological preventive measures.
Considering the return of migratory birds and bird flu risks associated with this migration, PVD invites residents who have domestic fowl to strictly adhere to bio-security and other measures to prevent the spread of bird flu.
According to PVD, feed and water should be organised in a way that prevents wild birds from accessing the enclosure. Workers that come into contact with birds are to be provided with work apparel to be work only within the enclosure.
Water provided to domestic fowl must not be taken from open air bodies of water. To prevent domestic waterfowl from coming into contact with wild waterfowl, they must not be allowed into natural bodies of water.
At the same time, all suspicious cases involving domestic fowl should be reported to PVD or veterinarians.
Residents are also invited to report any found dead birds – especially waterfowl – to PVD using the phone number 67027402 or to the closes PVD office.
The service notes that only bird carcasses with intact internal organs and a head are useful for laboratory tests. This is why residents are invited to report only carcasses that are not damaged by animals or other birds.
Highly pathogenic bird flu is an acute and very infectious disease that is characterised with high mortality. Wild birds, especially waterfowl, are natural reservoirs of this disease. Domestic fowl become infected after coming into contact with infected wild birds. Birds can also become infected as a result of coming into contact with infected water, feed or items (footwear, clothes, inventory) contaminated with the virus.
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