Bird flu 190,000 ducks destroyed at six Dutch farms after bird flu outbreak Officials check for avian flu at farms surrounding original site as outbreaks of disease reported in Denmark, Finland, Germany and Sweden Ducks on a farm in France. Ducks were culled at six farms in the Netherlands following reports of bird flu. Photograph: Iroz Gaizka/AFP/Getty Images 
 
 Some 190,000 ducks were destroyed on Saturday at six farms in the Netherlands following an avian flu outbreak, the country’s first cull in response to an epidemic sweeping northern Europe. 
 
 Outbreaks of avian flu, primarily the highly pathogenic H5N8 strain, have been reported in Denmark, Finland, Germany and Sweden over the past week. 
 
 Dutch authorities did not say what strain of the virus had been discovered at a poultry farm in the village of Biddinghuizen, 70km (43 miles) east of Amsterdam. 
 
 The cull was implemented at four other sites owned by the same company and at a sixth farm less than a kilometre from the site of the confirmed outbreak. 
 
 Officials said they were checking for bird flu at farms within three kilometres of the original site and imposed a ban on transporting poultry products within a 10km radius. 
 
 The world’s second largest agricultural exporter, the Netherlands has more than 100 million hens, pigs, cows and sheep on high-intensity farms. The density makes the animals more vulnerable to disease outbreaks. 
 
 Since 1997, 40 million hens, cows, goats, pigs and sheep have been slaughtered to contain outbreaks including swine flu, foot-and-mouth disease and BSE. ||||| Image copyright EPA Image caption Poultry farmers have been advised to take measures to prevent the disease spreading 
 
 About 190,000 ducks have been culled in the Netherlands as the authorities try to prevent the spread of bird flu across northern European countries. 
 
 The slaughter involved six farms, following the discovery of a virus in the village of Biddinghuizen, some 70km (43 miles) east of Amsterdam. 
 
 Outbreaks of the highly contagious H5N8 strain have been reported in Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Finland. 
 
 The Dutch authorities have not said which strain is involved. 
 
 Officials said they were checking for bird flu at farms within three kilometres of the original site and imposed a ban on transporting poultry products within a 10km (six mile) radius. 
 
 What is bird flu? 
 
 Avian influenza - bird flu - is an infectious disease of poultry and wild birds. 
 
 The H5N8 strain first appeared in South Korea in early 2014. 
 
 The virus later spread to Japan, North America and Europe, causing outbreaks at poultry farms between autumn 2014 and spring 2015. 
 
 How is it spread? 
 
 Last month, scientists said that monitoring birds on their long distance migrations could provide early warning of bird flu outbreaks. 
 
 Researchers said bird flu was carried by migrating birds from Asia to Europe and North America via the Arctic. 
 
 Contact with infected wild birds or materials contaminated with their droppings was the most likely route of transmission. 
 
 Should we worry? 
 
 Most avian influenza viruses do not infect humans. 
 
 However, hundreds have been killed by the H5N1 virus, mostly as a result of direct or indirect contact with infected live or dead poultry. 
 
 There is no evidence that the disease can be spread to people through properly cooked food. 
 
 So far, no human cases of H5N8 infection have been detected. 
 
 The World Health Organization (WHO) says that human infection with the H5N8 virus cannot be excluded, although the likelihood is low, based on the "limited information" at its disposal. 
 
 How should we do? 
 
 The WHO advises:
– Six farms in the Netherlands on Saturday were the wrong places at the wrong time for some 190,000 ducks who were slaughtered as avian flu sweeps Europe, reports Reuters, with outbreaks now reported in Denmark, Finland, Germany, and Sweden. The outbreaks have largely been on the H5N8 strain, though Dutch officials didn't specify which strain was found at the farm in the village of Biddinghuizen, some 40 miles from Amsterdam. The cull was enacted at four other farms owned by the same company, as well as another located less than a mile from the first site. Authorities have banned the transportation of poultry within six miles, notes the BBC, which also has a primer on avian flu.