Over the past two weeks, the first cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) of the fall season have been reported in Albania, Great Britain, Romania, and new regions of Germany and Ukraine.
This is according to notifications to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) from the respective national veterinary agencies.
While H5N1 continues to be prevalent HPAI virus serotype detected in the region’s wild and domestic birds this year, the presence of the H5N5 variant has been confirmed for the first time at a poultry farm.
At the start of November, birds at a farm in northern England tested positive for H5N5 after around 200 of the 23,227 free-range laying hens at the premises died. The farm is located In Hornsea in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The source of the infection is uncertain, according to the WOAH report. However, this virus variant has been detected in wild birds across Great Britain recently, so infected wild birds are a likely source of infection.
Previously, the most recent HPAI outbreak in British poultry was in February of this year, and involved the H5N1 virus.
With the latest development, the United Kingdom (U.K.) loses its self-declared status as free of HPAI, although it does not affect the status of Northern Ireland as free of the disease.
Following confirmation of the latest outbreak, the U.K.’s chief veterinarian urged all bird owners to follow scrupulous biosecurity procedures to reduce the risk of further infections.
All poultry at the infected farm have been humanely culled, according to the agriculture department, Defra. Movement restrictions on poultry, captive birds, carcasses, eggs, used poultry litter and poultry manure are in place within a 3-km protection zone and 10-km surveillance zone around the outbreak.
Properly cooked poultry meat and eggs remain safe to eat in the U.K., according to the Food Standards Agency.
First HPAI cases in poultry in Albania, Romania, regions of Germany, Ukraine
In recent days, the veterinary agencies of four European states/regions have notified WOAH about their first cases of HPAI in poultry linked to the H5N1 virus serotype.
For Albania, a backyard outbreak in a flock of 20 poultry at the end of October represented the first ever in the area. It occurred near to the country’s capital, Tirana.
First HPAI cases since May of this year have been recorded in Romania. According to the WOAH notification, affected was a backyard flock in the southeastern county of Tulcea.
Following a seven-month hiatus, the H5N1 HPAI virus has been detected again at two locations in the southeast German state of Bavaria. At the end of October, one small poultry flock in each of two different districts tested positive for the virus.
Following a brief absence, poultry have tested positive for the same HPAI virus variant in Mykolaiv, a province in southern Ukraine. The outbreak affected a village flock of around 160 birds, according to the WOAH report.
HPAI situation on European poultry farms
So far this year, 18 countries have registered a total of 278 HPAI outbreaks in poultry. This is according to the Animal Disease Information System by the European Commission (EC; as of November 6). It monitors listed animal diseases in European Union member states and adjacent countries, but not Great Britain.
For comparison, 521 outbreaks in this population in 24 countries were reported to the EC System during the whole of last year.
To date in 2024, all but three of the outbreaks were linked to the H5N1 serotype of HPAI virus serotype.
This year, the highest number of outbreaks — 97 — have been recorded in Hungary, followed by Moldova (45), and Poland (36). Totals for Bulgaria and Germany stand at 18.
Based on notifications to WOAH, recent outbreaks in Hungary have affected poultry flocks in six different counties. The great majority of the nation’s outbreaks have involved commercial flocks of ducks or geese, mainly for foie-gras production.
Also reporting new HPAI outbreaks on poultry farms to WOAH over the past two weeks have been Poland (four additional outbreaks), Italy and Slovakia (each with two), and Austria, the Czech Republic (Czechia), and France — each with one.
Additionally, one more poultry flock has been hit by the disease in Bulgaria and North Macedonia, according to the EC System.
5 nations confirm HPAI in captive birds
Separately from outbreaks affecting commercial poultry, the EC System monitors the disease situation in captive birds. This category generally covers backyard poultry, zoos, and similar premises.
For the year to date, it has recorded a total of 95 outbreaks in this category in 13 countries (as of November 6).
During the whole of 2023, 15 nations confirmed a total of 93 outbreaks affecting captive birds to the EC.
Over the past two weeks, two further flocks of captive birds have been confirmed with HPAI in each of the Czech Republic, Moldova, and Slovakia, and one in each of North Macedonia and Poland.
HPAI vaccination campaign resumes in France
From November 9, the French agriculture ministry has raised the level of avian flu risk across the country to high. This assessment was based on a recent rise in cases in wild and domestic birds.
A second successive year in the HPAI vaccination program commenced on October 1. Largely funded by the state, this targets commercial ducks.
During the first month of the new campaign, four million of the country’s ducks received a first vaccine dose, according to the ministry.
Wild bird outbreak total approaches 600
So far in 2024, the EC has been informed about a total of 597 outbreaks of HPAI affecting wild birds in 30 countries.
For comparison, there were more than 3,500 outbreaks during the whole of last year, reported by the same number of nations.
Reporting new cases to the EC over the past 14 days have been Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.
While H5 or H5N1 viruses were involved in those outbreaks, the H5N5 virus serotype was identified in further wild bird cases recorded in the Faeroe Islands, Great Britain, and Norway.
View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation in poultry, and on disease developments in the U.S. dairy sector.
