In two regions of Hungary, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) appears to be spreading rapidly.
In other developments, India, Poland, Taiwan and the United States have confirmed new outbreaks in poultry, all caused by different virus variants. Scientists, meanwhile, are warning of the emergence of a new avian flu virus posing a future threat to both humans and poultry.
Avian influenza situation in Hungary
HPAI continues to spread in central Europe. Hungary is currently bearing the brunt of the disease as the national veterinary agency confirmed 28 new outbreaks over the past week. In each case, the H5N8 virus subtype was detected.
Of all the country’s latest outbreaks, 27 were occurred in the southern county of Bacs-Kiskun. All affected premises are described as “farms” in the official report to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Details of flock sizes and species are not yet available for all the outbreaks, but the number of birds affected is at least 168,600.
In the neighboring county of Csongrad, one further outbreak has been confirmed to the OIE. This also occurred a farm.
Hungary’s total outbreaks for the two counties reported to the OIE since March 22 has already reached 68, affecting more than 858,000 poultry. At each affected location, the flocks are culled, the carcasses destroyed, and the premises are being cleaned and disinfected.
A recent update from the Italy's health authority and research organization for animal health and food safety (IZSVe) outlines two new HPAI outbreaks in Csongrad. These involved two flocks of meat ducks, numbering 141,652 and around 54,000 birds.
Poland records second HPAI outbreak in Lubusz
H5N8 HPAI virus has been detected at a second farm in the western province of Lubusz. This followed around 600 cases and 200 deaths of poultry at a farm in the district of Sulecin, according to the agriculture ministry’s latest report to the OIE. According to the IZSVe, the affected flock comprised 15-week-old fattening turkeys.
This latest outbreak brings Poland’s total since the end of last year to 32, according to the ministry. It has reported to the OIE 27 outbreaks, and the loss of 585,500 poultry through mortality or culling. Outbreaks have occurred in eight Polish provinces, including two that border Germany.
No new cases in Bulgaria, Germany, or France
Veterinary authorities in Bulgaria and Germany have reported to the OIE that no new cases linked to the H5N8 HPAI virus have been detected in their respective countries over the past week.
France’s agriculture ministry has reported that the disease situation arising from a low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) virus of an H5 subtype has been “resolved.” As a result of surveillance, the virus was detected only among one flock of mallard ducks at a farm in central France in early October 2019. There were no clinical signs in the birds. Subsequent next generation sequencing revealed the virus to be an H5N3 variant.
New research reveals that the HPAI outbreaks in Bulgaria may be due to a different virus from that currently causing disease in other parts of Europe.
The genetic make-up of the Bulgarian virus is a reassortment between HPAI H5N8 and a low-pathogenic H5N2 avian flu virus types, according to the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). In contrast, the HPAI H5N8 virus circulating in other northern and central European countries appears to originate in West Africa.
India confirms new HPAI outbreak in Kerala
There have been two new outbreaks of HPAI linked to the H5N1 virus, according to the latest report from India’s animal health agency to the OIE.
In the first days of March in the Kozhikode district of the southern state of Kerala, around 40 birds died out of a backyard flock of 3,500, as well as 2,500 chickens from a commercial flock of more than 13,000. At each location, the presence of the H5N1 virus was subsequently confirmed. This virus had last been detected in the state in September of 2019.
Last month, local media reported that the recent death of wild birds in Kerala had been caused by HPAI.
In the neighboring state of Goa, the poultry farmers’ association has stressed that its poultry are healthy, and safe to eat. According to Herald, a senior state official had issued a warning to the public not to eat chicken, apparently based on confirmed outbreaks of the disease in poultry in other parts of the country. Goa’s farmers said the current COVID-19-related lock-down in India had caused the collapse of around 70% of the state’s poultry sector.
Farmers in the north Indian state of Assam have been reporting feed shortages for livestock and poultry.
One new HPAI outbreak in Taiwanese poultry
H5N5 HPAI virus has been detected in a flock of around 4,000 meat geese in the Tainan city region. Almost 900 of the birds died, according to the latest report from the Council of Agriculture to the OIE. The rest of the flock has been destroyed.
This outbreak brings to 24 the number of HPAI linked to this virus variant in Taiwan since September of last year. The state has been battling to control outbreaks of the H5N2 HPAI virus for more than five years.
U.S. turkey flocks affected
The United States has had its first case of HPAI since 2017. The virus was detected in a flock of commercial turkey in Chesterfield County, South Carolina. In this case, it was believed the strain found in this flock had mutated from low pathogenic strains found in other turkeys in the area.
The area has also had another low pathogenic avian flu case. As the result of enhanced surveillance, low-pathogenic H7N3 virus has been detected in another turkey flock in Union County, North Carolina. The meat turkeys had shown no clinical signs of the disease, according to the latest report to the OIE from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). This was the 12th premises to be infected with the LPAI virus since March 10.
Of the total, 11 of the outbreaks have been detected in North Carolina, and now two in South Carolina. All infected flocks have been euthanized, and disposal of the carcasses is ongoing, reports APHIS. Enhanced surveillance and epidemiological investigations are continuing.
Researchers warn of a new potentially dangerous avian flu virus
Scientists in China are urging the world’s health authorities to monitor for the H16N3 avian influenza A virus.
According to Science Daily, this virus variant has been detected in many countries, including among wild birds in China. The latest research from the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute demonstrate the ability of this virus to bind with both human and avian receptors. It also includes genetic material from other species. These characteristics mean that this virus type could pose a threat to human and animal health in future.
The full paper has been published in the journal Transboundary and Emerging Diseases.
View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation.
