It is the third time that HPAI has been detected in red foxes in Norway. Last year, the virus was detected in two red foxes in Stad municipality, reports the Veterinary Institute. Birds are most often infected by bird flu, but in some cases it is detected in mammals. That it has been detected in a red fox is not surprising, says the poultry manager at the Veterinary Institute, Grim Rømo, about the fox that was found dead last week. – The outbreak we are seeing now causes high mortality in wild bird populations in some areas, and scavengers, such as red foxes, are exposed to a high infection pressure by eating large quantities of infected birds. Against this background, this detection is not so surprising, says Rømo. Asking people to be aware According to the Veterinary Institute, the symptoms in carnivores will vary, but they single out walking in circles, crooked head position and poor balance, as the symptoms most often reported. – It is important that the population is aware of sick predators in areas with proven HPAI in the wild bird population, and reports this to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. This call applies especially if the predators have neurological symptoms as described above, says Rømo. The fox pup that was found dead was autopsied at the Veterinary Institute in Tromsø. Photo: HANS LUDVIG ANDREASSEN / news Detected in several places in Norway Last week bird flu was detected in Bodø and northern Trøndelag, says Rømo to news. – There is still a large number of dead birds that are found in Vadsø. Around 3,000 dead birds were picked this weekend, he says. – Do you fear that some other animals may have been infected with bird flu? – In any case, there is justification for collecting the dead and sick birds in order to lower the infection pressure and to prevent the infection from spreading to other birds and sea and land mammals, he says to news. The veterinary institute asks cat and dog owners to be extra aware of dead and sick birds in the area. Recently, bird flu has been detected in several parts of Norway. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority describes the situation as the largest outbreak of bird flu in wild birds Norway has seen. FACTS: Bird flu Bird flu is a contagious viral disease in birds, which can lead to a mortality rate of up to 100 per cent in poultry flocks. The disease is caused by an influenza A virus. Different variants of the bird flu virus lead to illness of varying severity. The severe form of the disease is termed highly pathogenic (highly pathogenic) bird flu. There are also variants of bird flu that are not disease-causing, or only cause mild respiratory symptoms when they infect poultry. Bird flu is transmitted by droplet transmission from the upper respiratory tract, and through faeces or dust from faeces that is picked up through the beak or breathed in. Faeces from one infected bird can infect many thousands of poultry. Bird flu is very rarely transmitted from birds to humans. Those who have been infected have, as far as is known, been in very close contact with sick or dead birds. There are no examples of the disease being transmitted to humans via food or drinking water. (Source: Norwegian Food Safety Authority)
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A fox puppy has been diagnosed with bird flu in Tromsø – news Troms and Finnmark
