Poland reports outbreak of bird flu on poultry farm

Poland has reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza, or bird flu, on a poultry farm in the west of country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Friday.

The virus killed 5,854 poultry birds at a farm in the town of Swiebodzin, with the rest of the 14,730-strong flock slaughtered, in the first such outbreak since February, WOAH said, citing a report from the Polish authorities.

The spread of bird flu among poultry and dairy farms has heightened some health experts’ concerns that the process of killing and disposing of poultry infected with the virus may pose a risk to humans and livestock.

Recent instances of farms dumping carcasses in landfills and using methods to kill chickens that put workers in close proximity to the virus show how the process of getting rid of infected birds could further spread the disease, according to data obtained by Reuters and interviews with officials and disease experts.

Bird flu is fatal in birds and the government requires entire flocks to be culled once the virus is on a farm. The deadliest year was 2022, but nearly as many chickens have been disposed of so far in 2024 as in all of 2023, the data shows.