The highly contagious H5N8 has found its way in Europe over the last few weeks, and it's now present in the Netherlands, as confirmed by Dutch officials on Sunday, November 16.
The said virus was once found in poultry farms in Asia, especially in South Korea, where thousands of chickens across different slaughterhouses and farms had to be culled to contain the outbreak.
Its presence in the Netherlands meant killing more than 100,000 chickens and imposing strict measures to prevent its further spread. These include a transportation ban that shall remain in effect for 72 hours on all types of poultry products, from eggs to meat, dung, and straw. The European Commission may also implement a ban on sale of these products to other countries, including those in Europe. The Netherlands is one of the biggest producers and sellers of eggs in the world with Germany being its biggest market.
Although the virus is considered to be contagious, it's more dangerous among poultry than among humans. Nevertheless, everyone who gets in and out of the farms will be thoroughly checked especially for any signs of bird flu.
Interestingly, the first sign of the virus in Europe was detected in a farm in Germany early this November. The farm is located in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, the authorities discovered the virus in Hekendorp, one of the hundreds of poultry farms in the country. However, this farm is more into producing eggs than selling other poultry products.
Although this is the first case of the H5N8 in the country, this isn't the first time it reported a bird flu outbreak. Early this year, another kind of bird flu strain was discovered in Gelderland, located in the eastern part. The authorities destroyed around 10,000 chickens. The last time the Dutch experienced bird flu was around a decade ago.