Algeria reports H5N1 bird flu outbreak at poultry farm

Virus killed 35,800 birds, with the remaining 1,700 slaughtered

Bird flu is a concern due to the devastation it can cause to flocks, the possibility of trade restrictions and the risk of human transmission. AFP

Algeria has reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu on a poultry farm in the northern part of the country, a global animal health organisation has said.

The virus killed 35,800 birds on the farm in the district of Medea, south of Algiers, with the remaining 1,700 birds in the flock slaughtered, the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health said on Friday, citing a report from Algerian sanitary authorities.

The spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, is a concern for governments and the poultry industry due to the devastation it can cause to flocks, the possibility of trade restrictions and the risk of human transmission.

An unprecedented number of outbreaks were reported in wild and domestic birds this summer, causing massive mortality among sea bird breeding colonies on the north Atlantic coast, according to a joint overview by the EFSA, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the EU reference laboratory.

Bird flu usually strikes during the autumn and winter months. It is transmitted by the faeces of migrating wild birds that are infected or coming into direct contact with contaminated feed, clothing and equipment.