Comparing 5 Avian Flu seasons#16,260
While it is too soon to know if this autumn's bird migration will bring another record-setting HPAI epizootic to Europe, we've already seen scattered outbreaks (see Czech Republic Reports H5 Bird Flu Outbreak) and warnings from several jurisdictions (see FLI Risk Assessment: Avian Flu Threat High For Germany & Europe This Fall).
Today we've multiple reports of outbreaks in poultry from Russia - which oftens provides us with an early warning of what is to come - and a report of an H5N1 outbreak at a German zoo.Unlike in past years, the European H5Nx 2.3.4.4b clade virus is now considered to have some zoonotic capabilities. While the number of confirmed human infections remains small- and the public health risk is considered low - last May the CDC Added Zoonotic Avian A/H5N8 To IRAT List.
And we've seen numerous cautionary reports over the summer (see here, here, and here) warning of the potential public health threat from HPAI H5N8.
Three (translated) reports, representative of what we are hearing in this 3rd week of October.
First from the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, this report of an outbreak of H5N1 at a Greifswald Zoo.
Avian influenza detected in the Greifswald zoo
No 310/2021 | 10/21/2021 | LM | Ministry of Agriculture and Environment
Shortly after the first cases of avian influenza in wild birds were reported in Schleswig-Holstein, there is now the first outbreak of this highly contagious animal disease in a bird kept in the Greifswald pet park.
A stork with unclear symptoms was examined virologically at the State Office for Agriculture, Food Safety and Fisheries in Rostock after three storks kept there died. Today the avian influenza virus H5N1 was detected in the state office. Further examinations of samples from the stork and a dwarf goose in the National Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza at the Friedrich Loeffler Institute on the island of Riems showed that it is the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of the subtype H5N1. The virus has also recently been detected there in samples from a sea eagle found on the island of Koos.
The pet park in Greifswald is now again affected by the introduction of avian influenza after this highly contagious animal disease appeared there in spring 2017.
“The scientists at FLI had warned us that avian influenza was on the rise. Now the time has come and we have the first proof in the country. I ask the poultry farmers to be particularly careful now and to strictly adhere to the biosecurity measures. This includes in particular informing the responsible veterinary and food control office about unclear illnesses or deaths in poultry and having the animals examined for avian influenza as soon as possible. Furthermore, wild birds are not allowed to have access to food, bedding or objects and animals are not allowed to be soaked in surface water to which wild birds have access. It is imperative to prevent the virus from entering the livestock population.
The Christmas business is just around the corner and I therefore advise poultry farmers to slaughter stocks that are due for slaughter now. The business partners and their customers could stock up on poultry for the holidays early on. In this way, threatening financial losses can be averted, ”said Agriculture and Environment Minister Dr. Till Backhaus.Next, from the Rosselkhoznadzor Administration for the Tyumen Region in Western Siberia, we have this report of 8 HPAI H5 outbreaks in commercial poultry, involving the culling of over 4 million birds:
The Rosselkhoznadzor Administration informs about the destruction of chickens at the "Borovskaya" poultry farm
10/21/2021
At present, all 8 outbreaks of avian influenza virus type A, subtype H5 are localized in the Tyumen region. In Berdyuzhsky, Uporovsky, Yalutorovsky, Isetsky districts and in the city of Yalutorovsk, all birds were destroyed.
At the "Borovsk" poultry farm, about 4 million 300 thousand heads are to be liquidated. As of October 21, 2021, about 1.5 million birds were destroyed, as well as about one and a half thousand chickens in the neighboring villages of Borovsky, Andreevsky and in part of the city of Tyumen.
The burning of birds takes place with the participation of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the police, the administration of the municipal district, and the veterinary service. At this stage, there are no comments on the event.The burning of birds takes place with the participation of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the police, the administration of the municipal district, and the veterinary service. At this stage, there are no comments on the event.
The Department sent letters to the territorial Departments of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision of 22 regions of the Russian Federation (Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk, Belgorod, Kurgan, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Samara, Moscow, Amur, Kaluga, Orenburg, Kirov, Kostroma, Rostov regions, Perm, Altai, Krasnodar Territory, the Republic of Adygea, Tatarstan) and others.
At the request of the Rosselkhoznadzor Office, the Borovskaya poultry farm reported on the measures taken to withdraw its products from circulation. The remains were collected, confiscated and disposed of. Contractors were sent inquiries about the availability of poultry farm products with a proposal to withdraw them from the turnover.
In 2017, contaminated poultry was sold across much of Russia (see Rosselkhoznador : HPAI Contaminated Poultry Shipped To At Least 9 Regions Of Russia), resulting in frantic recalls, and several criminal investigations.The Rosselkhoznadzor Administration for the Tyumen Region, Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Districts suggested the Borovskaya poultry farm to recall poultry products, which, according to the company, are dangerous. At the moment, there is a return of products produced by the poultry enterprise from retail chains.
Further west, and on a much smaller scale (for now), the Orenburg region of Russia is reporting more than 3 dozen outbreaks of avian influenza, in what appear to be smallholdings.
On the current situation with the spread of the avian influenza virus
The Rosselkhoznadzor Administration for the Orenburg Region informs that the epizootic situation with regard to avian influenza in the territory of the Russian Federation remains tense. The season of migration of migratory birds affected its deterioration.
As of October 21, 2021, 37 unfavorable foci were registered in the Orenburg region in the following districts: Sorochinsky urban district, Krasnogvardeisky district, Aleksandrovsky district, Buzuluksky district, Oktyabrsky district, Sakmarsky district, Tashlinsky district, Ponomarevsky district, Svetlinsky district, Sol-Iletsky district , Ilek district and the city of Orenburg.
Currently, the state veterinary service of the Orenburg region under the control of the Office of the Rosselkhoznadzor in the Orenburg region is carrying out a set of organizational, economic and veterinary and sanitary measures to eliminate foci of avian influenza.
In total, more than 1800 heads fell (800 heads in Sakmarskoye, 226 heads in Ponomarevsky, 47 heads in Tashlinsky, 49 heads in Krasnogvardeysky, 63 heads in Sorochinsky, 353 in Buzuluk, 166 heads in Aleksandrovsky, 110 heads in Oktyabrsky districts). During the elimination of outbreaks, 437 birds were destroyed.
The Rosselkhoznadzor Administration for the Orenburg Region, when carrying out verification activities, established the main causes of the emergence and spread of the avian influenza virus:
1) Violation of the conditions for keeping poultry, namely: walking poultry outside the courtyard areas on reservoirs (ponds, rivers, artificial reservoirs), where contact with wild waterfowl and synanthropic birds is not excluded.2) Purchase of feed of unknown origin (from wheels), without veterinary accompanying documents confirming the epizootic well-being of the exit site.3) Failure to keep poultry by species (separate keeping).4) Failure to comply with zoosanitary rules (cleaning, disinfection of premises, inventory).5) Crowded content (the area does not correspond to the number of goals, according to the established rules).6) The counting of poultry in the courtyard territories is not kept properly, namely: the information provided for the accounting of household books is 3 times lower than that established in fact.7) Information on cases of death of poultry and wild poultry in the farmsteads of citizens is not provided in a timely manner to the subject veterinary service of the assigned territories.8) Concealment of deaths and disposal of biological waste (forest belts, unauthorized garbage dumps).
For identified violations of veterinary legislation in accordance with the order of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation dated April 03, 2006 No. 103 "On the approval of veterinary rules for keeping birds in private backyards of citizens and open-type poultry farms", order of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation dated October 26, 2020 No. 626 " On the approval of the Veterinary rules for the movement, storage, processing and disposal of biological waste ", individuals and heads of municipalities were brought to administrative responsibility, where foci of avian influenza were identified.
The department carried out work with the heads of municipal institutions and subject veterinary services in the assigned territories to immediately take measures and strengthen control over the prevention of the spread of avian influenza in the Orenburg region.
The economic damage from avian influenza is extremely high and is associated with the mass death of sick birds, the costs of carrying out strict quarantine and veterinary and sanitary measures, including the destruction of sick birds. The spread of this disease to poultry will not only lead to economic damage, but also negatively affect the export of poultry and poultry products.
We draw the attention of all heads of poultry farms in the Orenburg region,it is necessary to ensure the functioning of all commercial poultry farms in a closed-type enterprise mode, including:
- a ban on the entry of unauthorized vehicles from outside;- arrangement of disinfection barriers for vehicles entering and leaving the territory;- arrangement of "clean" and "dirty" roads on the territory of the economy;- a ban on visits by unauthorized persons who do not have the permission of the chief state veterinary inspector;- ensuring the functioning of sanitary access gates with full dressing up of workers at the entrance and exit, sanitary treatment;- restrict visits to the premises where the bird is kept exclusively by employees who, in accordance with the job descriptions, must be there and persons who have written permission from the chief state inspector;- a ban on the import of non-disinfected returnable containers, unsold poultry product residues, any poultry products, feed harvested in threatened regions;- use only heat-treated feed for poultry feeding (80 ° ะก, 1 minute or more);- exclude the keeping of poultry in backyards, at workers of poultry farms, at least once a month to carry out performance checks;- ensuring constant clinical examination of poultry in each of the production premises of the poultry farm, as well as providing serological monitoring (at least once a month).
Owners of personal subsidiary farms need to ensure the backyard keeping of poultry, where, when walking it, contact with wild waterfowl is not excluded. Ensure registration of the number of birds in all settlements, examination of its clinical condition and registration of bird mortality.
The management reminds poultry owners that at the first signs of AIV disease and abnormal behavior of the bird (refusal of food and water, ruffled plumage, discoloration of the crest, barbs and limbs, impaired coordination of movement), as well as in cases of sudden mass mortality of poultry, it is necessary to inform state specialists veterinary institutions serving your community.
While avian influenza remains more of an economic (and food insecurity) threat, large epizootics such as we saw in Europe in 2016-17, and 2020-21, and in the United States in 2015, can cost hundreds of millions of dollars and create food shortages and higher prices.
Although we often see scattered reports in October, it is generally November when these outbreaks really begin to take their toll. This year's early arrival should be a wake-up call for anyone who raises poultry, even outside of Europe.
Just as in Europe, there is a need to bolster biosecurity here in the United States (see H5Nx: Why North America Must Remain Alert). The USDA has some advice on how to Defend The Flock at the website below.
