Overview
- County officials in Gießen reported H5 detection in a Hungen broiler flock and ordered about 19,000 chickens killed, with Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute confirmation pending.
- Authorities set a three-kilometer protection zone and a ten-kilometer surveillance zone around the site, restricting movements and requiring housing of poultry.
- Germany’s current season remains severe, with millions of birds culled nationwide and more than 500,000 in Saxony alone according to the state health ministry.
- FLI vice president Martin Beer said H5N1 will recur in waves, signaling potential new outbreaks after brief lulls.
- Experts and regional officials urge broader, targeted vaccination, citing France’s multi-year duck program and EU talks to simplify testing rules, while noting shots would not replace other controls or fully prevent culling.