Three avian flu variants threaten European poultry

National veterinary agencies have confirmed new outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in commercial poultry in France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom (U.K.).

Andrea Gantz
Andrea Gantz

National veterinary agencies have confirmed new outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in commercial poultry in France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom (U.K.).

While it is the H5N8 virus that has been detected in the majority of the outbreaks, the presence of the H5N5 strain has been confirmed for the first time in Serbia and Slovenia, and a backyard flock in Greece has tested positive for the H5N6 strain.

France: 40 new HPAI outbreaks confirmed

Since November 2016, there have been a total of 373 confirmed outbreaks of HPAI in the nation’s poultry, according to the latest report from the French agriculture ministry. That is an increase of 40 from the previous week. So far, all the cases have been in the south-west of the country.

The ministry’s latest weekly report to on the avian flu situation to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) outlines 68 new outbreaks that occurred between February 1 and 20. With the exception of two backyard flocks, all were on farms, and Landes continues to be the worst affected department. In some outbreaks, clinical signs were observed in the birds – mainly in ducks and/or geese – but the majority of cases were culled preemptively. This has been deemed necessary because the poultry are located in areas where the avian flu situation is unstable, or at premises located within the protection zone around previous outbreaks, or before transport to the slaughterhouse. The OIE report omits details about the number of birds affected at each outbreak.

New outbreaks in Hungary, Spain, Poland, Germany, Italy, the U.K.

Hungary’s animal health agency has sent its first report to the OIE about new HPAI outbreaks since December 2016. Covering the period from December 23 to February 18, there were 19 outbreaks of HPAI caused by the H5N8 virus, leading to the loss of more than 455,000 poultry as a result of mortality or humane slaughter.

Having recently reported to the OIE the country’s first outbreak of HPAI in commercial poultry, the Spanish veterinary authority’s latest weekly report covers a further nine outbreaks. All were in Catalonia – in Girona and Barcelona – on contact farms or in the protection zone relating to the original outbreak. More than 10,000 poultry died or were destroyed as a result of this infection.

Over the last week, Poland has reported five new HPAI outbreaks to the OIE. Involving more than 18,000 poultry in total, two of the outbreaks were on commercial farms, and three in small backyard flocks.

According to the federal ministry of food and agriculture (BMEL) in Germany, there have been 75 confirmed HPAI outbreaks in the country, including zoos and animal parks. Of these, the H5N8 virus was detected in 72 outbreaks, and the H5N5 subtype in the other three, all of which occurred in Schleswig-Holstein.

Twenty-two new outbreaks of HPAI were included in the ministry’s latest weekly report to the OIE. However, just two of these were in poultry – a backyard flock in Rhineland Palatinate, and a commercial flock of more than 33,000 fattening turkeys in Lower Saxony.

According to Italy’s health authority and research institute for animal health, IZSVe, the ministry of health ordered the preemptive culling of almost 287,000 poultry on five farms located within the protection zone of two previous H5N8 outbreaks in Mantua in the region of Lombardy. Two backyard flocks in the same community in Veneto have succumbed to the disease so far this month.

In the last week, OIE has also received reports from the national veterinary authorities regarding HPAI outbreaks in backyard flocks in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania and Serbia.

There has been a further outbreak of H5N8 HPAI in a poultry flock in the U.K. The flock comprised around 35 birds, and was located in Northumberland in north-east England, according to the agriculture ministry, Defra. A number of the birds died, the rest have been humanely culled, and the source of infection is being investigated.

Since February 28, Defra has taken a more targeted approach to avian flu control measures. For those in “higher risk” areas, free-range flocks will have to remain housed or confined to netted range areas. Mandatory biosecurity measures are required across the country, but birds in areas deemed to be at lower disease risk may be allowed to access the range area again, as long as Defra guidance is followed.

New HPAI viruses detected in Serbia, Slovenia and Greece

For the first time, the H5N5 HPAI virus has been detected in Serbia and Slovenia, according to the reports to the OIE from the respective national veterinary agencies. In both countries, it was wild birds that tested positive for the virus.

In Greece, an earlier HPAI outbreak in a backyard flock in the region of Western Macedonia has recently been attributed to an H5N6 virus. Initially, the H5N8 subtype was thought to have been involved.

HPAI virus detected in wild and captive birds

In addition to these recent outbreaks of HPAI in poultry, the H5N8 virus has also been detected in wild and captive birds in Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia, as reported by the respective national veterinary authorities to the OIE.

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