WatAgNet: Avian flu spreading across Europe, Asia and Africa

Several European countries report first cases in poultry flocks

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses are being detected in the wild bird and domestic poultry in ever more countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.

Over the last week alone, outbreaks in poultry have been confirmed in 15 countries. In Europe, France has been particularly hard hit by the disease, while Greece, Croatia, Ukraine and Russia have recently reported their first cases in commercial birds. The disease has returned to Uganda, Nigeria and Egypt, and new outbreaks have been reported in India, Japan and Taiwan.

Europe: Greece, Croatia, Ukraine, Russia report first avian flu outbreaks in poultry
Based on reports from the veterinary authorities to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), France is the country whose poultry sector has been most affected by the H5N8 variant of  HPAI with a further 34 outbreaks confirmed within the last week. All but one of these outbreaks was in the department of Landes in the south-west of the country, with the other cases in the western region of Deux-Sèvres. These latest occurrences alone led to the death or destruction of almost 250,000 domestic birds. The same virus has been detected in wild birds found dead in three regions.

According to the French ministry of agriculture, the total number of confirmed HPAI outbreaks caused by the H5N8 virus has now reached 145, with a further eight cases in wild birds.

In the last week, three European countries have reported their first cases of H5N8 HPAI in commercial poultry: Greece, Croatia and Ukraine.