Avian flu: Four continents, six viruses

A total of six different variants of the virus causing highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been confirmed in commercial poultry in the last week in five Asian countries, Italy, The Netherlands, South Africa, the U.S., and Mexico.

Gabriela Pernecka, Freeimages.com
Gabriela Pernecka, Freeimages.com

A total of six different variants of the virus causing highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been confirmed in commercial poultry in the last week in five Asian countries, Italy, The Netherlands, South Africa, the U.S., and Mexico.

According to the official report from Taiwan’s agriculture ministry to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), there have been a further seven confirmed outbreaks of HPAI linked to the H5N2 virus subtype. Five of these outbreaks were in one geographical cluster in Dongshi township in the county of Yunlin, and another was also in Yunlin, with meat ducks and native chickens testing positive for the virus. A flock of layer ducks in Pingtung county was also affected, adding a further 54,400 Taiwanese poultry to those lost to the disease through mortality or destruction in the last week alone.

After an absence of more than a year, H5N1 HPAI has returned to Bhutan. A flock of 60 free-range poultry at a temple complex in Samdrup Jongkhat tested positive for the virus after more than half the birds died. The district is in the south-east of Bhutan, and borders India. According to the official report to the OIE, the birds were bought to and kept at the complex illegally, and the disease has so far been confined to that location.

The H5N8 HPAI virus first hit Iraq’s poultry sector earlier this year, and has now been involved in 12 confirmed outbreaks in poultry. The latest to be affected were more than 40,000 poultry at two farms in the governorates of Baghdad and Diyala.

South Korea’s agriculture ministry has reported to the OIE a further outbreak of HPAI. The H5N6 virus variant was detected at a farm with 10,000 meat ducks in the central province of North Chungcheong.

OIE has also received an Immediate Notification from the animal health agency in Pakistan, where the H5N8 HPAI virus was detected in a group of macaws at Lahore zoo in January of this year.

Europe: Further HPAI outbreaks in Italian, Dutch poultry

Italy has reported to the OIE a further two outbreaks of HPAI in its poultry sector, bringing its total outbreaks linked to the H5N8 virus variant so far this year to three.

One of the latest outbreaks — in a flock of almost 31,000 laying hens in the Brescia province of Lombardy — was linked to earlier cases as the farms are under the same ownership, reports the Italian health authority and research organization for animal health and food safety, IZSVe. The other recent cases were among a flock of 150,400 fattening turkeys in the province of Bergamo in the same region, where the presence of the virus was confirmed after a spike in mortality. Humane culling of the birds has been scheduled.

In the Netherlands, a second outbreak of HPAI linked to the H5N6 virus family has been confirmed to the OIE. Just under 29,000 poultry at a commercial farm in Kamperveen, Overijssel have been lost to the disease there through mortality or destruction. Poultry at four nearby farms have tested negative for the virus.

This is the third time that this company — which produces free-range ducks — has been hit by HPAI since 2014, according to the Dutch agriculture ministry. Transport restrictions are in place for poultry and products within a 10-kilometer radius of the affected farm.

In France, surveillance checks of domestic waterfowl have revealed a further five outbreaks of low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI). All were in different departments in the west of the country — Gers, Loire-Atlantique, Lot-et-Garonne, Finistère, and Vendée.

Four of the outbreaks were linked to the H5N3 virus, and involved more than 36,000 birds in total. The H5N2 virus was detected at a further outbreak in Vendée, where a further 11,200 waterfowl were affected. There have been 57 outbreaks of LPAI in France since November of 2015.

Two more birds of prey found dead in the Irish Republic have tested positive for the H5N6 variant of HPAI. The birds—a buzzard in County Tipperary, and an eagle in County Clare — were found in areas known to be frequented by migratory birds.

The same virus has been detected for the first time in Sweden. In the third week of February, it was confirmed in a bird of prey found dead in the southern county of Blekinge, and a backyard flock of 105 mixed poultry in the eastern county of Uppsala was affected in mid-March. There are no commercial poultry flocks within a 10-kilometer radius of this outbreak, according to the official report to the OIE.

Africa: More HPAI in South Africa

There have been 10 more outbreaks of HPAI linked to the H5N8 virus variant in South Africa, bringing the country’s total outbreaks since the middle of 2017 to 165.

Just one of the latest outbreaks was in commercial poultry, with eight out of 79 commercial ostriches at a farm in Western Cape Province testing positive for the virus. The other nine outbreaks involved a total of 10 wild birds at different locations in coastal areas of Western Cape and Eastern Cape.

U.S. reports more low-pathogenic avian influenza

A second outbreak of low-pathogenic avian flu has been reported in the United States. Latest to be affected was a flock of over 24,000 broiler breeders in Hopkins County, Texas, which showed increased mortality and a drop in egg production. The virus has been identified as an H7N1 subtype, similar to the one involved in a recent outbreak in meat turkeys in Missouri.

HPAI returns to Mexico

After an absence of eight months, HPAI has returned to Mexico. According to the official report to the OIE from the national animal health agency, there were two outbreaks of the disease caused by the H7N3 virus subtype in backyard flocks in February. The authority describes the outbreaks as being under control following the culling of all the birds at the affected premises, and continued epidemiological surveillance.

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