Denmark to cull 9,000 poultry due to bird flu

By Davut Colak

COPENHAGEN (AA) - Denmark will cull nearly 9,000 poultry after a strain of the bird flu virus was found on the farm in the village of Lovel on the borders of the Viborg Municipality in the country's Jutland Peninsula, according to local authorities on Saturday.

The H5N8 type of the avian influenza virus was detected among the poultry in a farm during controls by the State Serum Institute on the first day of the year, according to a statement by the Food and Control Administration.

Around 9,000 poultry on the farm will be culled to prevent the spread of the virus, said the authority, asking for measures to be taken against wild birds in poultry farms.

Due to the bird flu in Denmark in recent months, some countries, including Japan, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and Singapore, have temporarily stopped importing eggs and poultry from the country.

The bird flu has been reportedly spreading in Europe in recent weeks, with wild birds suspected for the spread.

Similar outbreaks previously resulted in culling of tens of millions of birds, causing big damage to the poultry industry.

The risk of humans potentially contracting the highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu virus cannot be excluded, although the likelihood is low, according to the World Health Organization.

* Writing and contributions by Jeyhun Aliyev from Ankara.