First case of bird flu in a human confirmed on a farm in Guadalajara, Spain

Netherlands to cull around 29,000 chickens after highly infectious strain of bird flu detected

Image of chickens. Credit. Fotokon/Shutterstock.com

The Ministry of Health confirmed that a worker on a farm in Guadalajara has become the first human in Spain to test positive for bird flu.

Sources from the Ministry of Health informed EFE on Monday, October 3, that a worker at a poultry farm in the province of Guadalajara had tested positive for bird flu. They stressed that he was asymptomatic at all times and that, in addition, the rest of his colleagues on the farm tested negative in subsequent tests that were carried out.

The farm located in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha had previously been hit by an outbreak of avian flu. According to sources of Eldiario.es, who also confirmed to EFE, this would be the first case of bird flu in humans in Spain and only the second ever case in Europe.

The virus was detected when those in charge of the warehouse facility verified, and on September 8, reported an abnormal increase in mortality in one of the caged areas.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the most likely route for the introduction of the virus on the farm was through contact with wild birds. This is very probable they explained due to the fact that this year the circulation of the virus among these birds has been high during the summer months despite the high temperatures, as reported by 20minutos.es.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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