Macedonia reports outbreak of H5N8 bird flu at farm

Macedonia reported an outbreak of the highly contagious H5N8 bird flu virus at a farm in the southwestern part of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Monday, citing a report from the local veterinary authorities. The infected birds were found at a farm in the region of Struga, the report sent by the Paris-based OIE said,

without giving details on the type of birds contaminated. The H5N8 bird flu virus has been spreading across Europe since late last year, leading to the large-scale slaughter of poultry in several countries, while other bird flu strains lead to some human deaths in China. READ MORE