New avian influenza outbreaks reported in Africa, Asia

Official reports of new outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry have been received by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) from China, Vietnam, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria in the last three weeks.

LuisaLeal Photography, Bigstock
LuisaLeal Photography, Bigstock

Official reports of new outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry have been received by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) from China, Vietnam, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria in the last three weeks.

HPAI returns to China, Vietnam

After an absence for more than a month, HPAI of the H5N6 subtype were detected at two poultry farms in China at the beginning of October. The first outbreak was at a farm with more than 95,000 birds in Jinchang City in Gansu province, and this was followed by another in Xiaogan City in Hubei province among 6,100 birds. All poultry at these premises died or have been destroyed.

Vietnam last reported cases of H5N1 HPAI in poultry in May of this year, but the authority in Hanoi has informed OIE of new cases among a backyard flock of around 800 poultry in Can Mau province in the far south of the country.

Africa continues battle against H5N1

Over the last three weeks, there have been 4 new outbreaks of H5Ni-variant HPAI in poultry in Nigeria. According to the official reports to the OIE, poor farm biosecurity was to blame for the new outbreaks, which occurred in the states of Bauchi, Rivers, and Delta and the Federal Capital Territory. Affected flocks were all of pullets and/or laying hens and ranged in size from just 100 up to 100,000 birds, all of which died or have been destroyed as a result of the infection. Nigeria has been battling HPAI since January of 2015.

Following its first report of H5N1 HPAI in poultry in May, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) has reported one new outbreak to the OIE. This was at a farm in Abidjan with 70,000 pullets and laying hens, all of which died or were destroyed. The outbreak occurred at the end of July.

As the result of earlier outbreaks, the veterinary authorities of Togo and Cameroon continue to report regularly to OIE, but there have been no new cases in either country since August.

Restrictions lifted in Europe, Canada

At the beginning of October, the agriculture ministry in France announced that all restrictions in the protection and surveillance zones had been lifted. The first outbreak of HPAI was confirmed in the south-west of the country in November of 2015. Most affected by the disease has been the region’s duck and goose fattening sector.

In a report to the OIE, the veterinary authority of Russia reported that no HPAI viruses of the H5N8 subtype have been detected lately in wild birds near Ubsu-Nur Lake. The lake – also called Uvs Lake – forms part of the border between the Republic of Tuva and Mongolia, and the virus was detected in wild birds there in June of this year. Further investigation has led to identification of the virus as one of Asian origin.

Following the detection of a low-pathogenic avian flu virus in June this year, the Dutch veterinary authority has reported to the OIE that the virus has not been detected during recent surveillance, cleaning and disinfection of the affected premises was completed last month, and restrictions have been lifted from the surrounding 1-kilometer control zone.

Last week, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced it had lifted the quarantine it imposed on a commercial duck farm in Ontario, where the presence of low pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza was detected in July.

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