Increasing Avian Flu Activity in October - Credit OIE
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Following the European epizootic of 2016-2017 - and China's last big human outbreak with avian H7N9 (spring 2017) - avian flu activity around the world has been in decline. This reversal has been thought to be due - at least in part - to China's massive poultry vaccination campaign of 2017.
Starting in 2019, however, we began to see some subtle signs of renewed bird flu activity, including the emergence of novel reassortments (see EID Journal: Novel Reassortant HPAI A(H5N2) Virus in Broiler Chickens, Egypt) in the Middle East and antigenic drift in China (see EID Journal: Evolution and Antigenic Drift of Influenza A (H7N9) Viruses, China, 2017–2019).
The relatively short history of avian flu has been that after large outbreaks - sometimes lasting several years - we often see a multi-year decline before the next wave.
In August and September we began to see signs of increased activity in Western Siberia - reminiscent of what we saw immediately prior to the 2016 epizootic in Europe - raising concerns that avian flu might return in force this winter (see ECDC & EFSA Warn Of Avian Flu Risk To Europe).
Over the past week we've seen a decided uptick in activity:
Pre-Print: Novel Incursion of a HPAI H5N8 Virus in the Netherlands, October 2020
UK: 2nd Farm Reports Avian Flu & DEFRA Outbreak Assessment #2
A Roundup Of HPAI Reports From Germany, Russia, The Netherlands & Japan
More HPAI H5N8 Outbreaks and Reports From The Netherlands, South Korea & Russia
Today we can add the first poultry outbreak of HPAI in Japan in 2020, another large outbreak in the Netherlands, multiple reports in wild birds and poultry in Germany, and the French MOA putting their country on high alert.
First stop, Japan's Ministry of Environment, which reports an outbreak of HPAI H5 in Kagawa Prefecture in Southwestern Japan. Although the translation is a bit kludgy, the gist is clear. An English language report (see Japan's Kagawa prefecture to cull 330,000 chickens after bird flu outbreak) is available from Reuters.
Thursday, November 5, 2nd year of Reiwa
Highly pathogenic avian influenza at a hen farm in Mitoyo City, Kagawa Prefecture, on November 5, 2nd year of Reiwa.
There was a report that a pseudo-patient of Enza was confirmed. In response to this report
We will strengthen the monitoring of wild birds by designating the area around the field with a radius of 10km as a priority area for wild bird monitoring.
In addition, in the "Technical Manual for Response to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Wild Birds"
Based on this, the national response level in wild bird surveillance is reduced to "response level 3".
I will lift it up.
1. 1. Background
November 4th (Wednesday) ・ Kagawa Prefecture received a report that the number of dead hens increased.
Request the farm to refrain from moving and stand on the farm
Conducted an entrance inspection.
・ On the same day, a simple influenza test was conducted on the hens. Alms positive.
November 5 (Thursday) ・ As a result of genetic testing of the hens, H5 subtype
And is a pseudo-patient of highly pathogenic avian influenza And confirm.
Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, another large poultry farm has been hit by (suspected) HPAI H5. This (translated) report from the government website.
Bird flu diagnosed at a poultry farm in PuiflijkFrom Germany, this report from the Landesportal Schleswig Holstein.
News release | 05-11-2020 | 7:00
In Puiflijk (municipality of Druten) bird flu (H5) has been diagnosed at a farm with laying poultry. It is probably a highly pathogenic variant of bird flu. There is one other company within a radius of 1 kilometer around the company. To prevent the virus from spreading, the infected farm and the farm located within the 1 kilometer area will be cleared. This concerns approximately 100,000 laying hens on the infected farm. The other company has 115,000 rearing hens. The culls are carried out by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). The company will be cleared as soon as possible.
The infected farm in Puiflijk is located in the 3 kilometer zone that was announced last week after a poultry farm in Altforst was found to be infected with bird flu. A 3 kilometer and a 10 kilometer zone is now also being set up around this new company, for which measures apply from today. Because this second infected farm is close to the first farm, the 3- and 10-kilometer zones largely overlap.
In the area of 3 kilometers around the infected farm in Puiflijk, there are 6 other poultry farms, including the previously cleared farm. The other farms in this area are sampled and examined for bird flu. There are 24 poultry farms in the 10 kilometer zone around this company. The transport ban applies to this zone.
Avian influenza is spreading
date 05/11/2020
First evidence in domestic poultry keeping - Numerous cases of wild birds also in the Rendsburg-Eckernförde district
After avian influenza has been rampant in the wild bird population on the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein for days, the notifiable animal disease of the subtype H5N8 was officially determined today (November 5, 2020) in a poultry farm in the district of North Friesland.In addition, 27 new records were made in the Schleswig-Holstein wild bird population, including a wild goose from the Rendsburg-Eckernförde district for the first time. The Ministry of Agriculture has received a corresponding confirmation from the Friedrich Loeffler Institute ( FLI ), the national reference laboratory for avian influenza.
The first evidence of avian influenza has already been found in wild birds in the Netherlands in the last few days. There is also evidence in Hamburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
A series of avian influenza outbreaks of the subtype H5N8 in poultry and wild birds have been reported from Russia and Kazakhstan since the end of July 2020. The affected regions are on the route of migrating water birds that migrate to Europe in autumn.
And in France, while avian flu has not yet been reported this fall, their MOA has issued a high alert (translated).
European evolution of highly pathogenic avian influenza: France again raises the level of risk and strengthens the implementation of preventive measures in poultry farms
05/11/2020
COMMUNICATED
Since the detection of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N8 in two swans in the Netherlands on 23 October, the number of cases in wildlife has continued to increase in Europe. Domestic outbreaks and cases in wild avifauna have been confirmed not only in the Netherlands but also in Germany and the United Kingdom.
The acceleration of the infection dynamic increases the risk of introducing the virus into France via the migration corridors currently used by wild birds.
Faced with this situation, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Julien Denormandie has decided to reduce from "moderate" to "high" the level of risk of introduction of the avian influenza virus by avifauna in metropolitan France or in the departments crossed by the migration corridors of these wild birds and in areas at particular risk [1].
This decision was taken after informing the professionals of the poultry industry and the National Federation of Hunters and consulting the French Biodiversity Office.
Julien Denormandie calls for strict compliance with biosecurity measures and increased surveillance on the part of professional actors, individuals who keep birds, and hunters.
As of November 6, the following preventive measures are made mandatory in all departments classified as “high” and in areas at particular risk (ZRP):
- confinement or protection of poultry farms by a net with reduction of outdoor routes for animals;
- ban on the gathering of birds (examples: competitions, fairs or exhibitions);
- a ban on involving birds originating from these departments in gatherings organized in the rest of the territory;
- ban on the transport and release of game birds;
- caller use ban.
The following measures are also kept mandatory throughout the territory :
- daily clinical monitoring in commercial farms;
- ban on racing pigeon competitions departing or arriving from a cited department;
- compulsory vaccination in zoos for birds that cannot be confined or protected under netting.
Exemptions will be considered with the actors in compliance with applicable texts, in particular those relating to the current management of the Covid crisis.
To date, France is free from avian influenza. The consumption of meat, fatty liver and eggs does not present any risk for humans. Highly pathogenic avian influenza is an infectious, viral, highly contagious animal disease that affects birds.
