#15,447
While bird flu reporting has taken a back seat to COVID-19, four weeks ago in A Disturbing Dearth Of Data, we looked at a report of HPAI H5N8 detected among wild birds found dead on the shores of Peschanoe and Tabinsha lakes, in (Chelyabinsk region) Russia.
Regular readers already know that wild bird die offs over the summer in China and Russia often presage introductions of new avian flu strains and/or epizootics the following fall in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.Over the winter of 2016/2017 a reassorted, and revitalized HPAI H5N8 virus arrived in Europe following a reassortment event the previous summer in Qinghai/ Ubsu-Nur, (see EID Journal: Reassorted HPAI H5N8 Clade 2.3.4.4. - Germany 2016), sparking the largest avian epizootic in European history.
Unlike previous incarnations of H5N8, this newly minted HPAI caused hundreds of outbreaks in wild birds, outbreaks on thousands of farms, killing millions of birds across Europe (see Europe: Unusual Mortality Among WIld Birds From H5N8).
Since that report Russia has officially reported 3 outbreaks of HPAI H5Nx from Omsk Oblast - roughly 900 km to the east (see OIE report) - involving a few hundred birds. But unofficially, Russian media is reporting a major outbreak. This (translated) report - dated today from TASS - indicates 1.5 million birds from a single farm will be culled.
Omsk poultry farm, where avian influenza was detected, will resume production no earlier than 2022
Due to the disease, all birds will be destroyed
(Excerpt)
State of emergency at the poultry farm
The first outbreak of bird flu was identified in the Omsk region on August 12 in the Poltava region. Later, outbreaks of this disease were recorded in the Krutinsky, Tyukalinsky, Bolsherechensky, Kormilovsky, Sargatsky, Nizhneomsky, Muromtsevsky, Kalachinsky, Gorkovsky, Cherlaksky, Omsk regions. The last outbreak was identified in the Moskalensky district. Wherever cases of infection have been recorded, the bird is taken and destroyed.
Another (translated) report from an Omsk news media outlet reads:
Bird flu found already in 13 districts of the Omsk region09/02/20 at 12:10
A dangerous disease has been identified in different parts of the region. 12 thousand heads of poultry were destroyed. People will receive over 5 million rubles of compensation.
The head of the regional Ministry of Agriculture Nikolai Drofa announced new data on the spread of bird flu in the Omsk region.
According to the minister, the dangerous virus has already been confirmed in 19 settlements in 13 districts - Krutinsky, Poltava, Tyukalinsky, Bolsherechensky, Kormilovsky, Sargatsky, Nizhneomsky, Muromtsevsky, Kalachinsky, Gorkovsky, Cherlaksky, Omsk and Moskalensky.
Since August 12, 11,939 domestic birds with a total weight of over 23 tons have been destroyed. These are 5596 chickens, 3541 goose, 4813 ducks, 104 turkeys and 25 pigeons.
The total amount of compensation for destroyed poultry at the moment is 5 million 258 thousand 334 rubles.
As previously reported, for 1 kg of live weight of chicken, 149.25 rubles are supposed, ducks - 250 rubles, goose - 275 rubles, turkeys - 242.25 rubles, guinea fowl - 333.33 rubles, quail - 380 rubles, pigeon - 1875 rubles.- The bird is also shot in the wild. 94 individuals have already been shot and 11 positive samples have been identified, - said Bustard.The source of the dangerous virus is wildlife. And the owners of personal subsidiary plots are asked to refrain from grazing birds outside their territories
Yesterday it was announced that bird flu outbreaks had been reported in the Tyumen Region, which lies north and east of Chelyabinsk and 600 km east of Omsk (see map at top of blog).
Bird flu has come to Tyumen region again
This is not the first time the disease has come to our region.
9: 48-1 Sep 2020| Nina Svetlova
An outbreak of bird flu was recorded in the Tyumen Region . The previous evening, the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia in the Tyumen region sent alarming SMS to residents. "Attention! There is an outbreak of bird flu in the region, the disease can be dangerous for humans. Do not take hunting trophies from hunting grounds." Also, if a bird dies, it is proposed to report this fact by calling 8 (3452) 258579.
As the press service of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia in the Tyumen Region clarified, an emergency regime has been introduced on the territory of two regions - Sladkovsky and Berdyuzhsky. Influenza of birds of type "A" was recorded on the territory of the village of Sladkovo, Sladkovsky district and the village of Berdyuzhe, as well as the village of Gagarin, Berdyuzhsky district, Tyumen region. Sick birds were found in personal subsidiary plots.
Except for the very first report in early August from Chelyabinsk (identified as HPAI H5N8), media reports have been vague about the avian flu subtype involved, and the OIE has simply listed the Omsk outbreak as HPAI H5Nx.
While H5N8 is probably a good bet, Russia has also reported HPAI H5N2 and HPAI H5N1 in the past (see Brief ESA Report On HPAI H5N2 & H5Nx In Russia), and while a long shot, HPAI H5N6 can't be ruled out.
Once considered controversial, today there is little doubt that HPAI viruses are spread over long distances by migratory birds (see WHO: Migratory Birds & The Potential Spread Of Avian Influenza).
The major migratory bird flyways (shown below) - along with scores of minor pathways not depicted - serve as a global interstate highway for avian influenza viruses. While primarily north-south conduits, there is enough overlap to allow for east-west movement as well.
A study, published in 2016 (see Sci Repts.: Southward Autumn Migration Of Waterfowl Facilitates Transmission Of HPAI H5N1), suggests that waterfowl pick up new HPAI viruses in the spring (likely from poultry or terrestrial birds) on their northbound trip to their summer breeding spots - where they spread and potentially evolve - and then redistribute them on their southbound journey the following fall.
Despite the sharp decline in global bird flu activity the past 36 months, this fall we'll once again be on the lookout for any signs of renewed avian flu activity around the world, and in particular, any indications that a new reassortant virus has emerged.
