Austria's Ministry of Health has declared the entire country a risk area for bird flu with new, stricter safety measures coming into effect today. The announcement follows an outbreak of bird flu in the Amstetten area of ​​Lower Austria a week ago, which led to the euthanasia of around 18.000 animals, it said. Index.hr.

The Austrian army will start a humanitarian mission in Amstetten today, with the removal of dead animals and the decontamination of trucks and containers, reports Euronews. A protective zone has been established around the affected farms within a radius of three kilometers. Veterinarians are tasked with checking 78 farms in the zone to determine possible cases of bird flu. In addition, a surveillance zone has been established within a radius of 10 kilometers, which will remain in force for 30 days. 25 areas in Lower and Upper Austria, Styria, Salzburg, Carinthia and Gradisch are also classified as areas of significantly increased risk. In these areas, farms with more than 50 animals must keep their livestock indoors. New cases of bird flu were recently detected on four farms with around 200.000 animals in Upper and Lower Austria. Recently, the number of cases among wild birds has also increased.

"To prevent the spread, the whole of Austria has now been declared an area of ​​increased risk," explained the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, which is also responsible for animal welfare. In July, EU agencies, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Food Safety Agency, called for increased vigilance, warning that although cases of bird flu in Europe have decreased, the threat remains due to bird migration after the summer.