Overview

• The National Reference Laboratory in Algete confirmed H5N1 on August 22 in a stork found dead at the Parc Natural dels Aiguamolls del Empordà in Castelló d’Empúries.
• The agriculture department reports no additional positives in the park or elsewhere in Catalonia and characterizes the detection as an isolated case.
• Veterinary teams, working with Agentes Rurales, set a 0–3 km control zone and a 3–10 km surveillance zone and conducted biosecurity checks at nearby poultry holdings.
• Officials say the risk to people is very low and food products remain safe, urging the public not to touch sick or dead birds and to report findings via 112.
• Spain has logged 17 highly pathogenic avian influenza events in wild birds in 2025, including nine in August, and Alt Empordà has recorded prior wild‑bird cases in recent years; detections in wild birds do not affect trade status.