#12,502
Eleven days ago, in DRC: Large Bird Die Off Around Lake Albert - AI Suspected, we looked at a report of several large die offs of poultry (ducks, primarily) along near the border with Uganda.
Today the OIE has published the following notification, identifying the virus as HPAI H5 (no N-type specified).
Epidemiology
Source of the outbreak(s) or origin of infection
Unknown or inconclusive
Epidemiological comments
Ducks are mostly raised in these localities near Lake Albert. Mortality has been higher in ducks than in hens. Positive samples have been taken on 21 ducks and one hen. Quantitative information provided concerns the ducks. H5N8 avian influenza virus is present in the neighbouring country Uganda. Dense trade exchanges, mainly of poultry and poultry products, between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda should not be overlooked. Duck mortality is high in Joo and Kafe. Surveillance has been reinforced in the containment zone to prevent the spread of the disease to the other Ituri territories. Other investigations are planned shortly in other territories of the province.
This is the first time the DRC has documented HPAI, although their eastern neighbor Uganda reported a large outbreak of HPAI H5N8 last January around Lake Victoria (see ESA: HPAI H5N8 in Africa).
Other reports of HPAI H5 (H5N1 and H5N8) have been received from several countries to their west this year, including Cameroon and Nigeria (see map below).
