Whether they actually have the new variant of bird flu remains to be seen from research, but Van Straalen is certain of his case. “They have all the symptoms. I would be very surprised if they turn out not to have it.”
‘Very sad’
Birds that have contracted bird flu show clearly recognizable behavior, according to Van Straalen. “They separate themselves from the group and shake their heads in a strange way. It really looks very sad.”
This is the bird flu of the type H5N8 that circulates among wild water birds. Nationally, that virus has already killed hundreds of water birds. Barnacle geese in particular die en masse, says Sovon Bird Research Netherlands.
‘Rare birds also die’
“And then you might think: there are plenty of barnacle geese, so it’s okay”, says Van Straalen. “But also rare birds can die because of this. For example, there was already a report that a red-breasted goose had been found on the Wadden, which had died from bird flu. And I study sea eagles in particular, they can also get this virus.”
Sea eagles have only recently been seen again in our country, also in Zeeland. These impressive birds of prey also like to eat geese and can therefore also get the bird flu virus. In an outbreak in 2016, sea eagles also contracted the virus from eating prey. Nature organizations have also found dead curlews and peregrine falcons.
Poultry
In addition, the virus can spread to animals in poultry farms. The current variant of the bird flu virus has already affected three poultry farms and a hobby chicken farmer in the Netherlands. As far as is known, no companies in Zeeland have been infected yet. The infected farms have been cleared and there is currently an obligation to keep poultry everywhere.
Although avian influenza, as the bird flu is officially called, is highly contagious and deadly to birds, people shouldn’t fear it. The chance of transmission to humans is small, according to European health and food authorities. Usually people don’t get very sick either. No human infections are known of the variant that is currently circulating.
Do not touch with bare hands
Nevertheless, Sovon Bird Research Netherlands and the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority advise against touching dead or dying birds with bare hands. They do call for to report such findsso that organizations manage the course of the disease be able to keep an eye.
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