Avian flu returns to poultry flocks in Germany and Japan

New outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been confirmed in poultry flocks in Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

(Aha-Soft | Bigstock)
(Aha-Soft | Bigstock)

New outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been confirmed in poultry flocks in Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom (U.K.). As well as further cases in domestic poultry in Israel, The Netherlands, and Russia, there has been a surge in the detection of the virus among the wild bird populations of western Europe, and South Korea.

Japanese poultry farms hit

Over the past week, Japan’s agriculture ministry has registered two outbreaks of HPAI linked to the H5N8 virus variant on poultry farms. According to the official report to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), both are located in Kagawa prefecture on the island of Shikoku.

Concerns were raised after mortality increased in a flock of 330,000 laying hens near the city of Mitoyo earlier this month. Presence of the virus was confirmed after around 2,000 of the birds died. The remaining birds have been destroyed, and movement restrictions are in place.

Within days, the same virus was detected at another layer farm in the same prefecture. Here, 24 of the 48,000 hens died.

Source of the virus has not been identified. The country’s last HPAI outbreaks linked to this variant were in January of 2018.

Five new outbreaks in Russian poultry flocks

HPAI virus of the H5N8 has been detected in a further three backyard flocks and on two farms in Russia. According to the agriculture ministry, the two farms — with around 1,200 and 4,300 birds — were in the Republic of Tatarstan. Two of the backyards flocks were in Tomsk oblast — this first cases in this part of the Siberian federal district — and the other was in Tuymen oblast (Urals). Directly affected in these outbreaks were 5,818 poultry.

These bring Russia’s total outbreaks since August to 58, with losses of poultry through mortality or culling approaching 1.59 million.

Over the past week, Russia’s ministry has also registered with the OIE its first ever detection of the H5N5 HPAI virus. This occurred in mid-September, affecting a village flock of around 140 birds in Omsk oblast. Located in the Siberian federal district, the oblast borders Kazakhstan. As no further cases linked to this virus variant have been identified since that time, the Russian authorities consider that the situation has been “resolved.”

New HPAI cases among poultry in western Europe

Germany has recorded its first cases of HPAI linked to the H5N8 virus variant in poultry his autumn/fall.

Affected have been two small poultry flocks in different districts of the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. According to the federal agriculture ministry, the first outbreak was confirmed in a flock of 68 birds in North Friesland on November 4. This was followed within a few days by confirmation of the virus in 21 chickens and other birds in a mixed backyard in Segeberg.

Because of these outbreaks and multiple cases among wild birds, the state authority has announced an immediate housing order for all poultry in Schleswig-Holstein.

The Netherlands has confirmed a second outbreak linked to the same virus variant. The agriculture ministry reports to the OIE that the presence of this virus was confirmed after around 200 birds died at a farm with more than 99,500 poultry at Puiflijk. As with the previous outbreak, this is located in the province of Gelderland.

More recently, the Dutch government has announced further outbreaks of HPAI in poultry linked to the H5 virus. These were in a hobby flock in North Holland province, and at a commercial egg farm with 48,000 hens in Groningen.

From the U.K., the agriculture department (Defra) has confirmed to the OIE the first outbreak of H5N8 HPAI at a farm at Frodsham. This is in the northwestern English county of Cheshire. Affected was a flock of 13,500 10-week-old broiler breeders. Around 180 of the birds died and the rest have been destroyed.

As of November 8, there have been 328 confirmed outbreaks of HPAI in European poultry, according to the Animal Disease Notification System of the European Commission (EC). This is an increase of two outbreaks from the previous week — one each from Germany and The Netherlands.

Further outbreaks among poultry in Israel

Over the past week, two further HPAI outbreaks have been reported to the OIE in the Hazafon (Northern) district of Israel. These bring the country’s total outbreaks since mid-October to eight, and losses of birds to almost 290,000.

Latest cases were in a flock of 133,000 six-week-old broilers at Golan, and at a farm in Yizreel with around 28,000 15-week-old turkeys.

HPAI in wild birds: confirmed German cases approach 100

Over the past week, Germany’s federal agriculture ministry has registered with the OIE a total of 96 cases of HPAI in wild birds in the north of the country.

Recording the highest number of cases is the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, but there have also been multiple cases in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Lower Saxony, and Brandenburg. Following detection of the virus at the end of October in Hamburg, a further cases has been recorded.

While the H5N8 HPAI virus has been identified in the majority of cases, the H5N5 virus variant has also been detected in some birds in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein.

Of all these latest cases in Germany, the duck family (including ducks and geese) accounts for the majority. Other species groups affected are other water birds (gulls, plovers, oystercatchers, a crane), birds of prey, and owls.

According to the latest update by the authorities in Schleswig-Holstein, the number of wild birds that have died from HPAI in that state alone exceeds 3,000.

HPAI in wild birds: cases in four other European countries

According to the European Commission, the number of confirmed HPAI cases in wild birds so far this year currently stands at 130. This is an increase of 122 cases from the situation on November 2, and it includes 101 cases in Germany.

In The Netherlands, the number of HPAI cases in wild birds has risen to 25.

First cases with the H5N8 HPAI were identified in wild swans in the province of Utrecht in mid-October. Over the past week, the Dutch agriculture ministry has registered with the OIE a further 29 cases in wild species in the provinces of North Holland, Friesland, Groningen, North Brabant, Utrecht and South Holland.

Significantly, the H5N1 HPAI virus has also been detected for the first time in The Netherlands. It has been found in a total of seven wild birds in North Holland and Friesland.

Denmark’s freedom from the H5N5 HPAI virus since January of 2019 has ended with its detection in a wild falcon. The bird was found in the Sjælland (Zealand) region at the end of October.

In the UK, the H5N8 HPAI virus has been detected in five wild water birds found dead at a wildlife reserve in Gloucestershire (western England). As the affected birds were resident in the area, Defra suggests that the virus was likely transmitted by migratory species.

In the Republic of Ireland, a peregrine falcon has tested positive for the same virus variant. According to the agriculture department, the bird was found in County Limerick.

More HPAI-positive cases in South Korean wild birds

Recent suspected detection of HPAI in the droppings of wild birds in the cities of Gunsan and Yangju have turned out to be of the low-pathogenic avian flu virus, reported the Yonhap news agency last week.

However, H5N8 HPAI virus has been detected in another sample of droppings in Cheonan city in the last few days, according to the same source.

Located around 90 kilometers south of the capital, Seoul, Cheonan was also the location of the first detection of this virus in South Korea for 32 months at the end of October. The city’s poultry markets have been suspended, and there is a complete travel ban within half a kilometer of virus-positive sites. Furthermore, in restricted areas of the three cities within 10 kilometers of these locations, livestock vehicles are prohibited. Officials are monitoring 65,000 small poultry farms across the country for signs of disease.

South Korea banned all imports of poultry products from Japan after the Kagawa HPAI outbreaks in poultry were confirmed, reports Yonhap.

View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation.

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