WattagNet: France confirms 200 avian flu cases in poultry (overview EU)

BY JACKIE LINDEN ON FEBRUARY 10, 2017
France confirms 200 avian flu cases in poultry
Battle against highly pathogenic avian influenza continues in Europe

New outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry have been reported in France, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic and Sweden over the last week.

France’s avian influenza losses mount
The battle continues to gain control over H5N8 HPAI in the duck- and goose-growing center of southwest France.

According to the latest report of the ministry of agriculture to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), 24 outbreaks were confirmed in the second half of January. More than 103,000 birds are confirmed lost to the disease in that report alone, and not all the affected birds were included in the report. Culling is being carried out preemptively, and more than 90,000 birds were destroyed as a result of the latest outbreaks.

On February 9th, France’s ministry of agriculture put the total number of HPAI outbreaks in poultry at 227 - an increase of 29 from last week.

As part of the procedure for testing wild and domestic poultry for the H5N8 HPAI virus, the veterinary service has also been able to detect other avian flu viruses. In the last week, these have included two low-pathogenic viruses – H5N1 in a waterfowl flock, and H5N3 at a duck farm.

New H5N8 HPAI outbreaks in other European countries
According to Germany’s federal ministry of food and agriculture (BMEL), the number of outbreaks has reached 58, including zoos and animal parks - an increase of 17 from a week ago.

Thirty-one outbreaks were confirmed by the German authorities to the OIE in the last week. These resulted in the death or destruction of almost 189,000 birds at seven farms, in three backyard flocks and at two zoos in six regions of the country.

There have been eight new outbreaks in poultry in Poland. As well as two backyard flocks, six farms were affected, leading to the loss of more than 211,000 birds.

In the Czech Republic, the veterinary authority confirmed nine new outbreaks in poultry to the OIE - one farm with more than 21,000 ducks, and eight backyard flocks.

Italy’s Ministry of Health has reported one new HPAI outbreak in a flock of around 23,000 fattening turkeys at Parma in the Emilio-Romagna region.

According to the Italian health authority and research institute for animal health, IZSVe, 36,737 laying hens have been slaughtered in Rovigo in the Veneto region. The farm was considered to be a “high-risk contact premises” linked to a previous outbreak in the same area, and a preventative cull was ordered.

In Sweden, a small backyard flock was confirmed with the H5N8 virus in Södermanland county.

UK government reviews poultry housing rule
As the threat of HPAI rose in the United Kingdom at the end of last year, the government ordered all poultry flocks to be kept housed to reduce the risk of infection spreading to domestic birds.  This measure, under the Prevention Zone, expires at the end of this month.

The agriculture ministry, Defra, has proposed a more targeted approach, with mandatory biosecurity measures across the country and continued housing or range netting in higher risk areas. This would allow poultry to be kept outside after February 28th, whilst still taking reasonable precautions against further outbreaks.

HPAI virus detected in wild and captive birds
For the first time, the H5N8 HPAI virus has been detected in Belgium – in ornamental birds of different species belonging to a hobby breeder in East Flanders.

According to new reports sent to the OIE, H5N8 virus has also been confirmed in wild birds in Poland, the Netherlands, Romania, Greece, Slovakia, Germany, Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark.