Hungary hit hard as avian flu continues to spread

Over the last week, countries whose veterinary authorities have reported new cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) include Hungary, France, Germany and Russia.

Photo by Andrea Gantz
Photo by Andrea Gantz

Over the last week, countries whose veterinary authorities have reported new cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) include Hungary, France, Germany and Russia. There has also been one new outbreak in the Netherlands, and HPAI viruses have been detected in chickens at a slaughterhouse in Taiwan.

Europe: New HPAI outbreaks in Hungary, France, Russia, the Netherlands

Hungary has so far reported the largest number of outbreaks of HPAI caused by the H5N8 variant of the HPAI virus in poultry. In the last week alone, the ministry of agriculture has informed the OIE of 84 new outbreaks, all in domestic poultry. Focus for the latest cases are the counties of Bacs-Kiskun, Csongrad, Bekes and Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, which are in the central-southern and south-eastern regions of the country. In the latter county, the three outbreaks have been in mixed backyard flocks, but in the other areas, commercial ducks and/or geese are the species most affected. Hungary has also recorded its first HPAI outbreak in a commercial broiler flock.

Intensive surveillance of poultry flocks near those known to be affected has revealed other virus-positive birds. Over the last week, the number of infected birds is almost 763,000, all of which are destined for slaughter. This brings the total losses of poultry as the result of HPAI in the country to more than 952,000 through death or destruction.

With a further five new outbreaks of HPAI viruses more than belonging to the H5N81 group affecting more than 51,000 poultry over the last week, France has now reported cases at 13 locations since last month to the OIE. The agriculture ministry has confirmed a total of 19 outbreaks. The latest outbreaks are in flocks of chickens and/or ducks in the south-west of the country in the departments of Tarn and Gers.

According to the OIE report, the Russian veterinary authority has confirmed that a HPAI virus of the H5 group was the cause of mortality in a flock of more than 54,000 laying hens in Astrakhan oblast. There are a total of more than 667,000 poultry at the affected farm. This new outbreak is in a region that borders the Caspian Sea as well as Kalmykia oblast, where there were two outbreaks of HPAI in backyard flocks last month.

In the Netherlands, the ministry of economic affairs has confirmed a fourth outbreak of HPAI in the country. Latest to be affected is a layer flock of 63,000 hens in Abbega in the province of Friesland. The birds are scheduled for culling. The virus detected is confirmed as belonging to the H5 group; recent outbreaks in the Netherlands have been caused by the H5N8 variant.

Further cases of same highly pathogenic subtype have been confirmed in wild birds – mainly members of the duck, swan and gull families – in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Romania.

As well as the outbreaks of avian flu caused by highly pathogenic viruses, France and Germany have also reported to the OIE the detection of low-pathogenic forms of the disease in poultry. The H5N1 variant has been detected in a flock of 1,000 ducks in the French department of Gers, and in a small mixed flock in the German state of Brandenburg. Also in Germany, a low-pathogenic H5N2 virus has been detected at two locations in the state of Schleswig-Holstein.

In its report to the OIE, Germany’s federal ministry for food and agriculture (BMEL) stressed that neither of these low-pathogenic viruses is related to recently reported HPAI outbreaks in the country.

According to the BMEL, since November 11, avian influenza has been confirmed in six German states at 16 locations. Of these, four were zoos or wildlife parks, 10 were in small hobby flocks and just two outbreaks were in commercial poultry.

Asia: HPAI viruses detected in Taiwan and Hong Kong

Taiwan has reported to the OIE its first cases of H5N8 HPAI since July. In mid-November, the virus was detected in 750 chickens during routine testing at a slaughterhouse in Taichung City. The carcasses were destroyed. The Taiwanese authorities detected this virus for the first time almost two years ago, and it has been found sporadically since that time.

Routine surveillance has revealed an HPAI virus of the H5N6 variant in a fecal sample at a natural park in Hong Kong. DNA testing indicates the sample came from a wild duck. The latest sample was found at the same location as three previous virus-positive samples. 

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