Second goose with bird flu dies, four people in direct contact

A second bird flu case was confirmed by the veterinary services on Wednesday at Athalassa park in Nicosia. The death of the goose follows the announcement on Monday that a bird of the same species had been found to have bird flu on Tuesday. “We are consistently checking the area and there are daily checks being carried out since Monday,” veterinary services officer Dimitris Epaminondas told the Cyprus Mail. Epaminondas said that the disease has a high morbidity rate and shows symptoms such as respiratory issues and swollen heads. In some cases, it also causes neurological symptoms, such as so-called “drunk stepping”. As of now, four people that have been in direct contact with the dead birds are undergoing daily PCR testing at the hospital to see if they too have caught the disease, which have so far yielded negative results. The four are currently not in quarantine. The four people are the person who found the first bird and three officers of the forestry department who were in direct contact with the animals. “It has not been confirmed in humans. It is simply being tested,” Epaminondas said, speaking to the Cyprus News Agency. He noted that the first indication about bird flu was received last Friday and was eventually confirmed on Monday after relevant examinations were carried out by the veterinary services. Following the confirmation of the case, relevant protocols were activated and all involved services were informed. Epaminondas recommended that the public avoid visiting the park for about one to two weeks as a precautionary measure to avoid the possibility of transmission of the disease. “It is best to avoid visiting the park for about a week,” he said, adding that one week has already passed since the first case was identified and that two weeks is considered a sufficient period for the virus’s transmission cycle to complete. Asked whether the Athalassa cases were isolated incidents or whether other cases have been confirmed, he said that this particular strain of the virus has been identified in 15 other European countries. “[It is] logical that it was found in Cyprus, because it comes through migratory birds,” he said. Epaminondas said that it was likely that the virus had already occurred in the previous year but simply went unnoticed. “It will probably happen every year,” he said. According to Epaminondas, the main priority for the veterinary services was the prevention of the further spreading of the virus to poultry farms as a confirmed case would prompt the activation of culling protocols. He said the authorities had already proceeded to inform poultry farmers to implement “the strictest biosecurity measures” including changing clothing and other measures to prevent the virus from entering the units. Epaminondas explained, however, that most of the units are closed, with the exception of free-range egg farms, which made it difficult for wild birds to enter and transmit the virus. “The easy way is mechanical transport by the owner or the poultry farm workers themselves, this is our main concern at the moment,” he said. “There is no reason to worry,” he said. The veterinary services on Tuesday advised the public to avoid close contact with birds at Athalassa park after H5N1 avian influenza was detected in a goose at a lake there. While bird flu can be dangerous and sometimes even fatal to humans, infections with the virus are rare. Infections typically occur after close, unprotected contact with infected birds, poultry or livestock by touching sick or dead animals or drinking unpasteurised raw milk. The virus, however, does not spread easily from person to person. The veterinary services appealed to poultry and bird owners to immediately report increased illness or deaths among their animals that could indicate bird flu to their district veterinary office. The department can be reached on: Nicosia 22 805241, Larnaca 24 821275, Famagusta 24 824555, Limassol 25 819512 and Paphos 26 821260.