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#11,960
Last September, in in FAO/EMPRES: H5N8 Clade 2.3.4.4 Detected Over Summer In Russia, we looked at a follow up on reports from earlier in the summer that H5N8 had been detected in Russia, which prompted the FAO to warn:
Countries and places in Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Europe and West Africa – especially those that have experienced outbreaks in 2005/06, 2009/10 and/or 2014/15 (as shown in Maps 2, 3 and 4) – should be on alert over the next 6 to 12 months, as westward and southern spread of the H5N8 virus is likely. If the virus enters Egypt or West Africa, where H5N1 HPAI viruses are already present or even entrenched in poultry populations it would further complicate disease control.
We've already seen the virus arrive in Israel, and make a sizable impact in Iran, so today's OIE announcement that the H5N8 virus has been detected in wild birds on the northern coast of Egypt is not terribly surprising.
The big concern will come if the virus makes it into Egypt poultry, which is currently rife with HPAI H5N1 and LPAI H9N2.
