Two seagulls were found dead in the Neckarschluse Aldingen in Remseck am Neckar on February 13. The suspicion that they died of avian influenza has since been confirmed.
Due to the current worldwide spread of avian influenza, which also affects Germany and Baden-Württemberg, samples of the animals were collected by the Veterinary and Food Inspection Department of the Ludwigsburg District Office and tested for avian influenza at the Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Office in Stuttgart. The avian influenza virus was detected in both birds. The samples were forwarded to the National Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza, the Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Friedrich Löffler Institute (FLI) for confirmation of the test results. In the district of Ludwigsburg, the suspicion of an outbreak of avian influenza in wild birds was thus officially confirmed.
Due to the outbreak in the neighboring and nearby districts of Böblingen, Esslingen, Stuttgart and Heilbronn, among others, there is an overall high risk of introduction into poultry flocks. Measures must therefore be taken in the affected areas to prevent the disease from spreading from the wild bird population to poultry. For this reason, the Ludwigsburg District Office has already issued a general decree ordering all poultry farms in the district to keep their poultry completely confined. The obligation to keep poultry indoors initially applies for a limited period until March 31, 2023. The general ruling will be published on the Ludwigsburg district website.
All poultry farmers are urged to pay close attention to biosecurity measures in order to prevent the entry of poultry into poultry farms. Information on this can be found on the homepage of the Ludwigsburg district(www.landkreis-ludwigsburg.de) and the homepage of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Food, Rural Areas and Consumer Protection(www.mlr.baden-wuerttemberg.de/) and the Friedrich Löffler Institute(www.fli.de). Furthermore, all poultry farmers in the district of Ludwigsburg are requested to register their poultry holdings with the veterinary office if they have not already done so. Hobby and small-scale poultry keepers are also obliged to register their poultry. Forms are available on the homepage of the Ludwigsburg District Office or can be requested by calling 07141 144-2031 or sending an email to: vet[at]landkreis-ludwigsburg.de.
Bird flu, also known as avian influenza, is a viral disease that is fatal in most cases for a large number of bird species. The main species affected are chickens, waterfowl (swans, ducks, geese, herons, cormorants, gulls, etc.), corvids (e.g. crows), birds of prey and owls. Pigeons and songbirds are not affected. Although the type of virus currently circulating has a certain zoonotic potential, the risk of endangering human health is considered to be very low. Findings of dead wild birds should be reported to the Veterinary and Food Inspection Department during normal business hours, stating the exact location of the find.
