Over 1,000 bird flu outbreaks in Europe in 3 months

Between December 2020 and February of this year, the European poultry industry reported major outbreaks of avian influenza. According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), this number has exceeded 1,000 outbreaks in 25 EU member states and the UK, of which 592 have been reported in poultry farms.

The sector most affected was in France, where 442 outbreaks were reported in poultry, mostly in the province of Landes. it is followed by Germany with 50 outbreaks in poultry farms and Poland with 37 cases in poultry farms. Together, these three countries account for 43% of the EU's poultry production, and restrictions applied in several third markets have created turmoil in the single market.

Virus impacts were significantly stronger in areas with high poultry densities, as in the case of Landes (France). “Due to the continued presence of the HPAI H5 virus in wild birds and in the environment, there is still a potential risk of its spread, which can cause high mortality in farm-affected ducks, and therefore their mortality can be considered an indicator of the presence of the virus. To improve early detection of the virus in poultry in the surveillance area, breeders should conduct daily clinical examination of ducks and collect dead birds for laboratory analysis,” advises EFSA.

Six different genotypes of the virus have been identified in Europe and RUSSIA, indicating a high susceptibility and mutagenicity of these viruses. In terms of public HEALTH impacts, there was no evidence of fixation of mutations with zoonotic potential in Europe. In any case, EFSA considers that the risk to the general population, as well as to travel-related imported human cases, is very low.