New outbreak of bird flu detected in Andalucía region of southern Spain

The Junta de Andalucía regional government, through the ministry of agriculture, fisheries, livestock and rural development, has confirmed a new outbreak of avian influenza in the province of Huelva on a poultry farm in the municipality of Valverde del Camino. It is very close to the first bird flu outbreak detected in the neighbouring town of El Cerro del Andévalo. The virus has been detected in a farm of 8,400 poultry and the outbreak has been confirmed after the clinical suspicion was reported to the regional ministry and the corresponding tests were carried out at the national reference centre, the central veterinary laboratory in Algete.

According to the ministry's administrative department for agri-food production and animal welfare and the regional ministry of agriculture, this outbreak has been declared some 20 kilometres away from the one detected on 4 September on a farm in El Cerro del Andévalo, although there is no "apparent epidemiological link between the two".

The farm in Valverde del Camino has been visited by the veterinary services of the Junta de Andalucía and is currently immobilised, as well as other farms located within a radius of three to ten kilometres. The regional authority said that the actions of slaughtering the birds of the affected farm and the official destruction of carcasses, feed and other materials that could carry the virus have been initiated, as established by the protocols and in accordance with the delegated regulation of the European Commission.

The Andalusian government explained that "rapid and rigorous action is being taken to prevent the disease from spreading, stopping contagion in other areas and ensuring the protection of public health and the ecosystem".

The ministry's administrative department for agricultural and livestock production said: "The aim is to keep the Andalusian agricultural offices and the eight territorial delegations informed and trained in order to implement all possible measures to prevent the disease from spreading and to be vigilant in the event of any incident. Work is being carried out and farms throughout the region and province are being supervised to act if necessary."

The Andalusian regional minister, Antonio Sanz, pointed out that this new suspected outbreak in Valverde del Camino is in addition to two others under study in the provinces of Malaga and Seville, along with the five already confirmed, four in the province of Huelva and another in Seville.