Avian flu risk remains high – DGS MAGAZIN

According to a press release from the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI), bird flu has reached its highest level since the end of February. FLI continues to rate the risk as high.

Since the end of February, the event has reached a second high point with reports of outbreaks in poultry and cases in wild birds (currently mainly swans and geese). Meanwhile, the dimensions of the current epidemic in Germany have exceeded those of 2016/2017. It lasts.

Almost 1,000 bird flu cases since 30 November

In Germany, nearly 1,000 cases of HPAIV-H5 infection in wild birds and 133 outbreaks in poultry, six of them in birds raised in zoos or similar facilities, have been detected since November 30, 2020. In addition, a large number of European countries report cases of wild birds or outbreaks of the HPAIV H5 subtype in kept birds daily.

Large areas of Europe have been affected by bird flu

Although the virus in France has subsided for a few days and all restrictions have already been lifted in the UK, the American poultry magazine WattAgNet reported on March 16, 2021 that 17 new outbreaks had been reported in commercial poultry flocks in Poland since the start of the month.

Five new cases occurred in Denmark, as well as in Sweden. In Estonia, so far, there is only one record in the poultry herd, and in the Czech Republic, three poultry farms have been affected.

Migratory birds in northern countries spread the bird flu virus

The current spring migration of waterbirds in the north could contribute to a supranational spread, according to FLI. Therefore, the risk of spread in waterfowl populations and entry into poultry holdings and bird populations (such as zoology facilities) is still rated high.

At present, there is also a high risk of entry through the spread of the virus among poultry holdings (secondary outbreak). High poultry density and live poultry trade (in outpatient settings) pose particularly high risks, so the biosecurity in poultry farming must be further examined and improved.

The FLI Risk Assessment Update It can be accessed online.