The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture stated today that the surveillance and active examination processes of bird markets in the Kingdom revealed that one infection case of H5N8 avian influenza virus was reported at Azizia bird market in Riyadh.
Dr. Abdullah Abalkhail, spokesman for the Ministry, said that the Ministry’s branch in Riyadh in cooperation with the security authorities, Riyadh Municipality, Riyadh Health Affairs Directorate, and the Ministry of Finance have applied the Contingency Plan immediately after discovering an infection case in ducks, which are virus carriers on which symptoms of the infection are not shown. In addition, they have closed the bird market, prevented the movement of birds in the market, and disposed the birds in a safe and efficient manner, as directed by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, Acting Governor of Riyadh Region.
Abalkhail stressed that the Ministry in cooperation with the relevant government sectors has succeeded in stopping the spread of the disease, which has not been proven to be transmitted to humans, in addition to controlling the transportation of birds and bird projects by implementing biosecurity measures, and disposing birds in the infected areas safely, pointing out that the last case recorded was on 17 April 2018.
Abalkhail called bird and poultry keepers not to go to Azizia bird market during this time until the end of the site clearance to protect their birds from transmission of this disease, which is a respiratory disease rapidly spreading among birds, and urged all to report any cases by calling the emergency number (8002470000).