Belgium has mandated that all poultry remain indoors starting Thursday after a new outbreak of bird flu was confirmed, according to the country’s federal food safety agency. The decision comes amid a renewed wave of infections spreading rapidly across Europe.
Bird flu, formally known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), continues to alarm health officials and the poultry industry as it has led to the deaths or culling of hundreds of millions of birds globally in recent years. The disease’s resurgence threatens poultry supplies, raises food prices, and heightens concerns about potential health risks to humans.
Following Belgium’s announcement, several neighboring countries have taken similar preventive steps. France implemented its indoor order on Tuesday, while the Netherlands introduced the measure last week.
The latest Belgian outbreak occurred on a turkey farm near Diksmuide in the northern part of the country. According to data from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the H5N1 strain killed 319 birds, prompting authorities to cull the remaining flock of over 67,000 to contain the virus.
Elsewhere in Europe, Slovakia reported a new bird flu case on a poultry farm, further highlighting how quickly the virus is spreading across the continent. In the Netherlands, authorities announced plans to cull approximately 161,000 chickens after confirming another outbreak in the central-eastern region.
The growing number of cases underscores the continued challenge European nations face in trying to prevent and manage outbreaks of this highly contagious disease.
