Türkiye contains isolated bird flu case in Konya

KONYA

Türkiye has reported a fresh outbreak of the highly contagious H5N1 bird flu, also known as avian influenza, marking the first such case in over a year, the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) announced on Nov. 4.

The virus struck a large commercial poultry farm in the Central Anatolian province of Konya's Meram district, where 211 birds died from the disease in a flock of roughly 790,000, according to WOAH’s report, which cited Turkish authorities.

The case comes amid a seasonal increase in avian influenza across Europe and the Middle East. Authorities stated that necessary precautions were taken to avoid the spread of the disease.

The Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Ministry moved quickly to contain the spread. “There is no situation that can be described as an epidemic in our country,” and the case in Konya is isolated, it said.

After receiving reports of poultry deaths on Oct. 31, veterinary teams arrived on-site and immediately placed the area under quarantine.

“A 10-kilometer protection and surveillance zone was established around the affected site, with stringent biosecurity measures enforced in surrounding areas. We have begun culling birds and disposing of eggs and feed that pose a contamination risk,” the ministry said. “Infected eggs were destroyed on-site before they could enter the supply chain.”