Epidemic (animal)

A second goose was found dead at Athalassa National Forest Park on Tuesday and is suspected of having bird flu, after tests confirmed the disease in another goose at the park.
Three game wardens who came into contact with the first goose, and the woman who found it, have been placed in home quarantine as a precaution. The second bird has been sent to the Veterinary Services for testing.
The woman spotted the first goose behaving unusually on Friday and alerted the Game and Fauna Service. Its staff took the bird to the Veterinary Services laboratory, and it died the following day. An epidemiological investigation is under way at the site to identify the virus subtype, and tests with the EU Reference Laboratory are continuing to establish how virulent it is.
The Veterinary Services and the European Commission said the risk to the general public remains low, as the virus does not easily infect humans. In rare cases people can catch it, mainly through direct and close contact with infected birds, their droppings or contaminated surfaces without protective equipment. Symptoms range from none or mild illness, such as conjunctivitis, to severe pneumonia. No human-to-human transmission has been confirmed so far, and there is no evidence that the virus spreads through cooked eggs or poultry meat.
The case is the first in Cyprus in two years, after bird flu was found in a falcon in Paphos district in 2024. In 2022, 846 birds of various species found in two private collections in Paralimni were culled. A wild duck found dead in the Latsia industrial area was also confirmed to have had the disease.
If bird flu reaches a farm, the law requires all its birds to be culled immediately under official supervision, the carcasses, eggs and feed to be destroyed and the premises disinfected. A protection zone of at least three kilometres is set up around the farm, with tighter surveillance, movement restrictions on animals and animal products, and strict biosecurity. An outer surveillance zone of at least 10 kilometres restricts the movement of poultry, people, vehicles and products, with intensive veterinary monitoring for at least 30 days.
The Veterinary Services are also running a bird flu surveillance programme for commercial poultry and wild birds until at least the end of 2027.
H5N1 cases have been reported in Latvia, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Poland, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the United States and Ireland. The European Commission said the European Medicines Agency has approved antiviral medicines for human use, and joint procurement contracts are in place for pandemic influenza vaccines for high-risk groups such as vets and poultry farmers. EU rules now also allow member states to vaccinate poultry under certain conditions without affecting their trade status, provided proper surveillance is in place.
Suspected cases or a rise in bird deaths must be reported immediately to the District Veterinary Offices. The central office can be reached on 22805200 and 22805182. The district numbers are Nicosia 22805240, Limassol 25819512, Larnaca 24304275, Paphos 26821256 and Famagusta 24721571.