Hundreds of storks found dead near Madrid as bird flu fears rise in Spain

HUNDREDS of storks have been found dead along a river near Madrid, raising concern about the rising cases of bird flu in Spain, according to a statement made by officials on Tuesday, December 9. Bird flu, also known as H5N1 or avian influenza, can cause major damage to agricultural sectors and food supplies. Additionally, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, or ECDC, had issued a warning to European health authorities at the beginning of December regarding an “unprecedented” number of outbreaks this autumn.

More than 100 storks found dead in last 24 hours

The wild, dead storks were found on the banks of the Manzanares River in Getafe, an area located in the south of Madrid. They were taken in for testing, where health officials discovered a low-pathogenic strain of bird flu. Forestry agents have been collecting hundreds of dead storks in the area over the past several weeks, although more than a hundred have been collected in just the past 24 hours; the total number of dead storks found has been more than 400. 

According to the Madrid regional government, the alarming number of stork deaths has raised suspicions of a more severe variant of the disease. Further samples have been sent for analysis to a laboratory operated by the Agriculture Ministry, according to the regional government.

Europe experiencing ‘unprecedented’ outbreak of bird flu, measures to control it already put into place

This year alone, more than 200 outbreaks of bird flu have been reported at poultry farms across Europe, with thousands of infections, including in wild birds, detected in at least 29 European countries. The virus can spread through bird droppings, saliva, and contaminated food or water (notably, however, it cannot be spread by consuming poultry products). Though the disease rarely poses a risk to humans, the ECDC had warned health officials that the disease is just one major mutation away from being able to infect humans, and that European health officials needed to be prepared in the case of a bird flu pandemic.

Efforts to control the spread of bird flu have already been put into place, including bans on free-range poultry farming, limits on visits to poultry breeding facilities, restrictions on raising ducks and geese alongside other poultry, and increased oversight of water supplies.

Disease not yet a serious risk to humans, but authorities should take precautions

Notably, according to the regional government of Madrid, no commercial poultry farms have been affected by the bird flu so far and the disease does not yet pose a serious risk to humans. “The authorities are removing carcasses using strict biosecurity measures to prevent further spread of the virus,” went the statement. For now, the outbreak is a cause for concern, but does not pose a significant environmental threat, according to Madrid authorities.

High-pathogenic bird flu has, in recent years, led to the culling of hundreds of millions of farmed birds on a global scale in recent years, increasing prices of poultry products and throwing a wrench in food supply processing, though human cases remain very rare and there have not yet been any recorded instances this year of the virus spreading to humans.

Still, the ECDC released a plan for European health officials to get ahead of the spread of the virus.

Its key points included:

• Quarantining infected individuals for at least 14 days after infection is detected
• Preparing a vaccine for rapid deployment to the general public
• Intensifying surveillance at borders between countries, including testing for H5N1 at ports and airports and analysing wastewater from aircraft toilets
• Testing symptomatic patients who have recently travelled to affected countries
• Encouraging the usage of face masks and making protective gear available for high-risk individuals
• Boosting the capacity of hospitals
• Boosting laboratory testing
• Prioritising communication with the public

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