Bird flu strain in China has been confirmed to have spread in a poultry farm in Netherlands. A Yorkshire duck farm with over 150,000 poultry are set to be exterminated following tests of the H5N8 strain. Residents of the area are alarmed over the news. Is the H5N8 strain highly contagious for humans?
Dutch authorities had confirmed that the bird flu strain in China has successfully reached central Netherlands. The H5N8 strain of the bird flu had been found in Germany early this month, which had prompted officials to a massive poultry cull.
The bird flu strain in China had been reported in the village of Hekendorp, which is a banned poultry farm in Netherlands. Around 150,000 chickens are set to be destroyed. As for Germany, the bird flu strain in China reached the country by Nov. 4. The H5N8 strain was found at a farm north east of Mecklenberg-Vorpommern.
While the bird flu strain in China has never been confirmed or at least detected in humans, this has not stopped residents of both Netherlands and Germany to worry over the bird flu. Dutch economics ministry spokesman, Jan Van Diepen however has rubbished reports that humans could carry the bird flu strain.
"It's a highly pathogenic strain for birds," says van Diepen, in a report by the Scientific American, adding, "For people it's not that dangerous: you'd only get it if you were in very close contact with the birds."
This is contrary though to reports of the bird flu strain in China that have infected humans. The same case had also been noted in Europe.
While the H5N8 bird flu strain in China has been confirmed in the Netherlands, data from the World Health Organization states that the country has never had cases of H5 or H7 strains for the past 10 years.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
