More avian flu reported in European poultry

With France reporting the most outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry flocks so far this year, the infection continues to spread across Europe.

(bangoland | Bigstock)
(bangoland | Bigstock)

As of February 6, 15 European countries had registered one or more outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)  in poultry so far this year. This is according to the Animal Disease Information System of the European Commission (EC).

Up to that date, the system has a total of 363 outbreaks in 2022 up to that date. This is an increase of 70 since the previous edition on January 30.

Registering the most outbreaks has been France with 258 for the year to that date, followed by Hungary (29), Poland (17), and Italy and Germany (each with 14).

The first outbreaks of the year have occurred in poultry in Kosovo, Moldova, and Spain.

Also reporting new cases through the system since the end of last month were Bulgaria, the Netherlands, and Portugal.

Avian flu situation in western European poultry flocks

The latest information from the French agriculture ministry puts the number of confirmed HPAI outbreaks on farms at 350 (as of February 9).

An increase of 11 since February 2, first cases of disease this season have been detected in the Normandy region — in Seine maritime. This brings the number of departments affected so far to eight, while Landes in the southwest accounts for 230 of all the outbreaks in commercial poultry so far. 

HPAI has also been detected in 14 backyard flocks in France — an increase of three over the previous week. Two of these were also in Seine maritime, while the other was in the southwest.

In the Netherlands, the number of confirmed HPAI outbreaks officially recorded has risen to 21. This is according to the most recent reports to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). In three commercial premises in Gelderland, and one in Flevoland, presence of the H5N1 HPAI virus variant was confirmed. Affected were flocks of around 165,000 laying hens, 54,000 meat ducks, 15,200 poultry breeders, and 8,900 breeding ducks.

The latest updates from the Dutch agriculture ministry cover two more likely HPAI outbreaks. If confirmed, these bring the country’s total HPAI outbreaks since October of 2021 to 23. Both of the suspected outbreaks were in Gelderland — one comprising 250 laying hens, and the other with around 6,000 chickens. 

To the OIE, the veterinary authority in the United Kingdom (U.K.) has confirmed that two more poultry flocks have tested positive for the H5N1 HPAI virus. These were a commercial flock of 7,125 turkey breeders in Cheshire in northwest England, and backyard birds in the western county of Gloucestershire. 

From Northern Ireland, the agriculture department has reported recently days that the same virus serotype has been detected in a non-commercial mixed poultry flock in Enniskillin in County Fermanagh. It is the first outbreak in the region since mid-December. 

In Germany, the only poultry recently testing positive for HPAI virus came from a small backyard flock in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, according to the latest OIE report.

Additional farm outbreaks in Portugal, Spain

At the end of January, poultry at a farm in Spain’s southernmost autonomous region tested positive for the H5N1 HPAI virus. Of the 41,000 birds at the premises in Andalusia, around 17,000 died, according to the OIE notification. Source of the infection was identified as likely to be wildlife.

This represented a second HPAI outbreak in Spain this winter. Previous cases were at a farm in northern region of Castile and Leon. 

Also recently registering a second HPAI outbreak in poultry over the past week has been Portugal. Elevated mortality of chickens and turkeys was observed at a farm with a total of more than 12,200 birds in the Lisbon district. Surrounding the nation’s capital city in the west of the country, the district borders Leiria, where the H5N1 virus was detected for the first time in the country in December.

Based on information from the Italian health authority and research organization for animal health and food safety (IZSVe), no further cases have been confirmed among the country’s poultry flocks since January 14. As of that date, 308 HPAI outbreaks had been confirmed since Italy’s first cases in mid-October of 2021. 

Further cases in central, eastern Europe

In western Russia, three turkey farms belonging to one company have been hit almost simultaneously by HPAI. This is according to the official OIE notification.

Around the start of this month, 45 of the around 121,000 birds died at three AgroPlus premises in the same district of Stavropol krai.

Part of the North Caucasus federal district, Stavropol was the location of previous cases linked to the H5N1 virus variant as recently as mid-January.

Over the past week, the veterinary authority of the Czech Republic has reported to the OIE a further five HPAI outbreaks in poultry. 

Of these, one was on a commercial farm with almost 4,000 ducks in the central region of Pardubice. The remaining outbreaks affected non-commercial flocks, each with 9-277 birds across four other regions of the country.

So far this year, 18 HPAI outbreaks have occurred in Polish poultry flocks, according to the nation’s chief veterinary office. The two most recent cases were confirmed in the first week of February. Affected were two commercial flocks in Kuyavia-Pomerania in northern Poland. While one flock comprised around 2,600 breeding geese, the second had almost 3,400 breeder hens. 

Based on information supplied by the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, there have been four HPAI outbreaks in the country’s poultry flocks so far this year. 

Two most recent outbreaks were confirmed at the end of last month. Affected were premises in the southeastern province of Burgas, and in Haskovo, which is in the south of the country. No details are reported about flock sizes, type of poultry, or the virus serotype involved.

Cases in European wild birds approaches 800

For the year to date, HPAI outbreaks in wild birds across Europe reported to the EC animal disease system have reached 795 (as of February 6). This represents an increase of 51 compared with the status on January 30.

Of the 23 countries that have registered cases through this system, Germany has detected the most outbreaks in wild species (411), followed by the Netherlands (146), and Denmark (50).

Also confirming with the EC new outbreaks since the start of February were Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Spain and Sweden. 

Furthermore, OIE has been notified of new cases of HPAI in wild birds also in Slovakia and the U.K. over the past week.

In almost every case over this period, the presence of the H5N1 HPAI virus serotype has been confirmed. However, in the south-west German state of Baden-Württemberg, the H5N2 variant was detected for the first time during the first week of February. 

View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation.

Page 1 of 171
Next Page