Germany Raises H5 Risk as Northern Outbreaks Trigger Mass Culls

Overview

• The Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut has upgraded key risk ratings to high for spread among wild birds and for entry into poultry holdings based on recent detections.
• Authorities confirmed multiple recent outbreaks in northern Germany, including H5N1 on a Lalendorf turkey farm where about 6,000 birds were culled and 3 km protection and 10 km surveillance zones were set up.
• Regions have imposed stall orders and tightened on-farm rules that require birds to be kept indoors, use of protective clothing, cleaning and disinfection, and restricted access to reduce virus introduction.
• The Robert Koch Institute says the risk to the general public remains low and no human cases have been reported, while the FLI expects further H5 detections through November.
• The renewed spread is driven by autumn migration and colder, wetter weather that prolongs virus survival in the environment and raises the chance wild birds will carry infection into poultry areas, increasing economic and operational strain on farms.