#12,853
As we've been discussing for the past several weeks, in addition to the large number of HPAI H5N8 outbreaks in Italy, we've seen a smattering of HPAI H5 reports in other European countries, including Germany, Switzerland, and most recently Bulgaria.
Further east, over the weekend Russia's Rosselkhoznadzor Reported Avian H5 Detected In Rostov Region.While it isn't immediately clear whether any of these outbreaks stem from new incursions of the virus via migratory birds - or are simply remnants in the environment from last winter's epizootic - this is the time of year we would expect to see new introductions of the virus.
Based on these events, and the time of the year, he UK's DEFRA has released a new update today on HPAI in Europe and the UK. While they find the risk of poultry infection remains `low', they have raised the risk of new incursions of the virus via migratory birds from `low' to `medium'.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Animal & Plant Health Agency Veterinary & Science Policy Advice Team - International Disease Monitoring
Updated Outbreak Assessment #16
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N8 in the UK and Europe
22nd October 2017 Ref: VITT/1200 Avian Influenza in Europe
Disease report
Since our last update on 29th September 2017, in Europe, reports of H5N8 HPAI have continued in a number of countries. Italy has reported seventeen more outbreaks of H5N8 HPAI in Bergamo, Brescia, Ferrara, Sondrio, Vicenza and Cremona. The poultry involved included fattening turkeys and layers and seven smallholdings.
In all cases, disease control measures are in place; most introductions are considered to be primary incursions with little secondary spread observed. One of the outbreaks was reported in one of the largest layer farms in Italy, with over 850,000 birds to be destroyed. Wild birds positive for H5N8 HPAI have been reported in 3 cases (mute swans, Cygnus olor, one in Como and two cases in Verbano). More information on the individual infected premises can be found at the website of the Italian regional laboratory (IZSV, 2017)
Germany has reported a finding in a wild duck (species unknown) near the border with the Netherlands. They have also reported that a virus from a mute swan sampled in September is different from others previously found in that region but shows high similarities to others across Europe(Friedrich Loeffler Institute, 2017). New incursions to Europe as a whole remain a continuous risk and the increase in detections in recent days and weeks of H5N8 support local maintenance of virus and increase in risk as new waterfowl populations move and arrive within Europe.
Bulgaria has reported two outbreaks of H5N8 HPAI in poultry – one in a commercial duck unit of ~10,000 birds and the other on a backyard farm.
Situation assessment
In the UK, the wild bird migration season is well under way which will bring birds from their breeding grounds in Central and North Eurasia to Europe and the UK for wintering. The findings of new incursions in wild birds in Central Europe mirrors what was occurring last year although there is a lot of uncertainty around whether we see a similar situation to that of last year.
Elsewhere, the H5N8 HPAI virus also continues to be reported in South Africa, where it is present in several regions and several poultry types. Notably, several commercial ostrich farms and hen layer farms in Western Cape Province. Nearly 2/3 of the layers present in Western Cape have now been culled as a result (2.6 million birds) although the infected birds on the ostrich farms have not been culled according to the OIE reports.
The EFSA scientific opinion on Avian Influenza and the EFSA report on the H5N8 HPAI epizootic of 2016-2017 are now published:
Link to the scientific opinion: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4991/full
Link to the scientific report: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2017.5018/fullConclusion
Given the recent findings in wild birds in Germany and the likely migration routes to the UK, the risk level for the UK for an incursion in wild birds has been raised to “MEDIUM”. The risk for poultry remains “LOW” for introduction of infection onto individual premises, but will depend on levels of biosecurity which we recommend should be increased, particularly for seasonal fattening farms of poultry.
We strongly recommend that all poultry keepers (including backyard keepers) review their biosecurity measures and business continuity plans now, as the risk level may well increase in the coming weeks. They should familiarise themselves with government guidance on good biosecurity and how to report suspicion of disease appropriately.
Further information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu including updated biosecurity advice for poultry keepers for England; http://gov.wales/topics/environmentcountryside/ahw/poultry/bird-gatherings-advice/?lang=en for Wales and; http://gov.scot/avianinfluenza for Scotland
We ask that the public use the Defra helpline (Tel: 03459 33 55 77) to report findings of dead wild birds. In particular, any wild ducks, wild geese, swans, gulls or birds of prey and where more than five birds of any other species are found dead in the same location.
Authors
Dr Helen Roberts
Dr Sharon Brookes
Professor Ian Brown
