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Albania to temporarily ban fowl imports from bird flue-affected countries

Xinhua, November 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

Albania has decided to temporarily ban the imports of fowl from European Union countries that have been affected by bird flu, Albanian ministry of agriculture announced Wednesday.

The ministry ordered suspension of all fowl imports from Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Poland, the Netherlands and Switzerland, all of which have reported H5N8 virus cases, according to a ministry statement.

According to the ministry, Albania is facing risks due to wildlife pilgrimage in the lagoons.

The ministry also ordered poultry farmers to keep their birds indoors and to watch for signs of infections and report them.

The flu strain can spread easily among birds, but isn't thought to pose a risk to people, ministry said.

Albania and other European countries had a bird flu outbreak a decade ago.

Currently, a particularly deadly strain of bird flu H5N1 continues to spread among poultry in Egypt and in certain parts of Asia. Technically, H5N1 is a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus. Endit