site.btaBird Flu Outbreak Detected in Village of Donchevo

The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency has reported an outbreak of Avian Influenza A (bird flu) in the village of Donchevo (Northeastern Bulgaria), the Agency said on Tuesday. The virus was detected in a laying hen breeding facility that keeps about 180,000 fowl.

The Agency's Executive Director Tuesday ordered measures to control the outbreak. Actions will be taken to cull the sick and contact birds on the premises.

A 3-kilometre protection zone has been established around the affected breeding site, which includes the Donchevo, Opanets and Bogdan villages of Dobrich Municipality. A 10-kilometre surveillance zone has been set up in the town of Dobrich and the villages of Draganovo, Novo Botevo, Dolina, Vedrina, Odrintsi, Branishte, Stefanovo, Plachidol, Malka Smolnitsa and Zlatia.

An epizootic survey and monitoring of the movements of poultry and other birds, eggs, products, and animal by-products derived therefrom, poultry feed, and of the means of transport related to the technological process in the facilities will be carried out, the Food Safety Agency said.

Poultry meat and products coming from a farm where an outbreak of avian influenza has been detected do not pose a risk to human health, provided that the hygiene rules for food handling are observed, the Agency said.