In Bavaria, more than 150 animals have already been proven to be infected with avian influenza this year. Wild birds were affected in 141 cases, the remaining animals were kept poultry, according to a spokesman for the State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL) in Erlangen.
In the whole of 2022, the authority had only detected 35 cases of the so-called highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) in birds in Bavaria, 26 of them in wild birds. According to the LGL, all Bavarian administrative districts are affected by the cases of the disease in wild birds, also known as bird flu. With the exception of Swabia, there were also cases in kept animals in all administrative districts.
In order to prevent the spread of the disease, a large number of animals had to be killed. So far this year, around 87,500 animals from ten livestock farmers have been culled because of an outbreak of avian influenza. This spring, 15,000 turkeys were killed on just one farm in Leutershausen (Ansbach district).
The authorities in Lower Bavaria recorded the most recent outbreak of the disease. Around 100 dead seagulls have been found on Lake Wörth in the past few days, according to the district office in Landshut. The state office currently assesses the risk of avian influenza in Bavaria as high. With rising temperatures and stronger sunshine in the course of spring, a decrease in bird flu cases can be assumed, the spokesman said.
Around half of the bird flu cases in Europe are reported to be due to seagulls. Avian influenza is transmitted through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated materials. There is no known infection of people in this way in Germany. However, dead birds should not be touched. Several dead or sick animals in one place should be reported to the veterinary office.