Updated 15.41 | Published 15.30
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fullscreen Laying hens have been affected. Archive image. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
A farm with laying hens in the area of Helsingborg has been affected by the serious and contagious Newcastle disease, test results from the State Veterinary Institute (SVA) show.
The symptoms among the birds in the flock, which consists of approximately 230,000 laying hens, are reduced egg production and also eggs without shells, states the Swedish Agency for Agriculture.
An access ban has been introduced on the farm in question, and neither animals nor animal products are allowed to leave the farm. Infection tracing has now begun, and the infected hens will be euthanized.
“The measures are necessary to be able to fight the outbreak and reduce the risk of continued spread of the infection,” says Ella Sigvardsson, infection control officer at the Swedish Agricultural Agency in a press release.
Newcastle disease is a serious, contagious disease in poultry, but it is not dangerous to humans.